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RELEASE 9.3.1
SPREADSHEET ADD-IN
USER’S GUIDE FOR EXCEL
Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in User’s Guide for Excel, 9.3.1
Copyright © 1989, 2007, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Authors: Keely Costedoat
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Contents
Contents iii
Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Formulas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Aliases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Consolidations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
iv Contents
Repeating Member Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Working with Duplicate Member Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Creating Queries Using Essbase Query Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
About Creating and Changing Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Creating Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Saving Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Applying Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Deleting Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Viewing Messages and Confirmations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Accessing Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Connecting to Multiple Databases from Essbase Query Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Applying Worksheet Options to Essbase Query Designer Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Selecting Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Saving and Disconnecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Saving a Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Disconnecting from Essbase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Logging Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
On to Advanced Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Contents v
Linking a URL to a Data Cell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Accessing and Editing Linked Reporting Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Connecting to Multiple Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Ways to View Active Database Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Ways to Access Linked Partitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Updating Data on the Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Database Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Creating Multiple Worksheets from Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Working with Currency Conversions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Retrieving Currency Conversion Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Connecting to the Sample Currency Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Performing Ad Hoc Currency Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
vi Contents
Introduction to Release 9.3.1
1
In This Chapter
Migration to Release 9.3.1......................................................................................................... 7
New Features in Release 9.x....................................................................................................... 7
New Features in Release 7.x....................................................................................................... 8
This chapter provides compatibility information for Oracle's Hyperion® Essbase® – System 9
Release 9.3.1 and previous releases of Essbase, including migration information and new feature
descriptions and enhancements.
Visual Explorer
Oracle's Hyperion® Essbase® Visual Explorer is a new tool accessed from the Spreadsheet Add-
in that helps you to analyze data in an Essbase database. Visual Explorer provides a query and
analysis interface for creating interactive summaries and reports of data in a graphical format.
These graphical summaries answer questions about topics such as totals, comparisons, outliers,
correlations, rankings, and trends—question that you may have about the information in an
Essbase database. You can choose to visualize data in various graphical formats including bars,
lines, Gantt bars, shapes, colors, and tables.
Metadata Sampling
Essbase is a multidimensional database engine that provides support for ad hoc analysis. Such
analysis is entirely driven by the intuition of the analyst and can be time-consuming as data
volume increases. Large cubes tend to have more dimensions and sometimes more levels, making
hierarchical navigation very cumbersome.
Metadata sampling enables you to analyze large cubes with a focus on data trends or to
approximate information in the initial stages. Because you query on a “sample” of members,
retrieval is quick. Metadata sampling enables you to drill down on a portion of the vast amount
of members in an Essbase database in a fraction of the time that it usually takes to analyze the
whole database. You can view many samples in a small amount of time and make early decisions.
Later, you can follow with organized data exploration.
With the introduction of Hybrid Analysis, you can store part of an Essbase cube in a relational
database. Metadata sampling enables you to drill down on all of the data that you specify, whether
it is in Essbase or in an underlying relational database.
This chapter provides an overview of Essbase and its users. It includes a description of the Essbase
client-server environment and the Essbase product suite. Finally, multidimensional database
concepts and database outlines are discussed.
About Essbase
Essbase is multidimensional database software that is optimized for planning, analysis, and
management-reporting applications. Essbase uniquely blends an innovative technical design
with an open, client-server architecture. The product enables you to extend decision support
systems beyond ad hoc queries and reports on historical performance to dynamic, operational
systems that combine historical analysis and future planning.
By consolidating and staging historical and projected data for detailed analysis, you gain
perspectives about your business that enable you to take appropriate actions.
Essbase provides both power and flexibility. Thus, it can be used for a broad range of online
analytical processing (OLAP) applications, including those in the following list:
● Budgeting
● Forecasting and seasonal planning
● Financial consolidations and reporting
● Customer and product profitability analysis
● Price, volume, and mix analysis
● Executive information systems
About Essbase 11
Essbase enables you and others in the organization to share, access, update, and analyze
enterprise data from any perspective and at any level of detail without learning new tools, query
languages, or programming skills.
12 Introduction to Essbase
Figure 1 Essbase Components
The Server
Essbase Server is a multidimensional database that supports analysis of an unlimited number of
data dimensions and an unlimited number of members within these dimensions, developed
using a true client-server architecture, All data, the database outline, the calculations, and the
data security controls reside on the Essbase Server.
The Network
Essbase runs on PC-based LANs that support the TCP/IP protocol.
14 Introduction to Essbase
Essbase Currency Conversion
Essbase Currency Conversion translates, analyzes, and reports on foreign financial data. Any
exchange rate scenario can be modeled, and you can even perform ad hoc currency conversions
of data, directly from the spreadsheet. The Currency Conversion product is compliant with
Financial Accounting Standards Board 52 (FASB52). For more information on conversions, see
“Working with Currency Conversions” on page 155.
Integration Services
Oracle's Essbase® Integration Services works with Essbase and Microsoft Excel. This product is
a suite of tools and data integration services that serve as a bridge between relational, flat file,
and SAP BW data sources and Essbase Server. Integration Server drill-through is one of the tools
of Integration Services. Using Integration Server drill-through, you can view and customize
spreadsheet reports that display data retrieved from relational databases. For more information
on the drill-through tool, see Chapter 5, “Using Drill-Through.”
Developer Products
Essbase developer products enable the rapid creation, management and deployment of tailored
enterprise analytic applications—with or without programming knowledge.
The products (for example, Application Builder, and Oracle's Hyperion® Application
Builder.NET) provide a comprehensive set of application programming interfaces, drag and
drop components and services.
Data Mining
Data Mining—an optional product component of Essbase—shows you hidden relationships
and patterns in your data, enabling you to make better business decisions. Using Data Mining
you can plug in various data mining algorithms, build models, and then apply them to existing
Essbase applications and databases.
Definition of Multidimensional
A dimension is a perspective or view of a specific dataset. A different view of the same data is
an alternate dimension. A system that supports simultaneous, alternate views of datasets is
multidimensional. Dimensions are typically categories such as time, accounts, product lines,
In contrast to the multidimensional view, worksheets stores data in two dimensions, usually
time and accounts, as shown in Figure 3:
16 Introduction to Essbase
Database Outlines
Understanding the database outline is the key to understanding Essbase. To define a
multidimensional database, you design its database outline. The database outline contains the
database organization (structure), the database members, and the database rules, as shown in
Figure 4:
The application designer or Essbase system administrator usually creates the database outline.
For more information on creating the database outline, see the Hyperion Essbase - System 9
Database Administrator's Guide.
The components of the database outline are as follows:
● Dimensions
● Members
● Attributes
● Formulas
● Aliases
● Consolidations
Refer to the following topics for descriptions of the outline components.
Dimensions
Dimensions are the most basic categorical definitions of data within the database outline. You
need at least two dimensions to make any meaningful reference to data; for example, a time
Database Outlines 17
dimension and an accounts dimension. Other dimensions may categorize products, markets,
and scenarios. Using dimensional organization, you can define any consolidation structure or
any slice of data that is relevant to the application. Essbase supports an unlimited number of
dimensions.
Members
Members are the names of the elements within a dimension. A dimension can contain an
unlimited number of members. The calculation, reporting, and dimension-building features in
Essbase use the following terms to describe members.
● Parents. A parent is a member with a consolidation branch below it. Figure 5 shows an
example of Qtr1 as a parent member because below Qtr1 is a branch containing months as
members.
● Children. A child is a member with a parent above it. For example, Jan, Feb, and Mar are
children of the parent Qtr1.
● Siblings. A sibling is a child member of the same parent and on the same branch (same level).
For example, Jan, Feb, and Mar are siblings. Apr is not a sibling of Jan, Feb, or Mar, however,
because it has a different parent, Qtr2.
● Descendants. A descendant is a member at any level below a parent. For example, each
member that falls in the Year branch is a descendant of Year. The following members are
all descendants of Year: Qtr1, Jan, Feb, Mar; Qtr2, Apr, May, Jun; Qtr3, Jul, Aug, Sep; Qtr4,
Oct, Nov, Dec.
● Ancestors. An ancestor is a member of a branch above a member. For example, Qtr2 and
Year are ancestors of Apr.
● Generations. The term generation describes the branch number of a member. Generations
count from the root of the tree (generation 1, which is the dimension name) toward the leaf
node.
● Levels. The term level describes the branch number of a member. Levels count from the leaf
node (level 0) toward the root (the dimension name).
18 Introduction to Essbase
Attributes
Attributes describe characteristics of data, such as the size and color of products. Through
attributes, you can group and analyze members of dimensions based on their characteristics.
Attribute dimensions must be associated with base dimensions. For more information, see the
Hyperion Essbase - System 9 Database Administrator's Guide.
Formulas
Each database member can be associated with one or more formulas in the database outline. For
example, the Variance members of the Scenario dimension, as shown in Figure 4 on page 17,
contain formulas. Formulas can be simple or complex. For more information on formulas, see
the Hyperion Essbase - System 9 Database Administrator's Guide.
Aliases
Essbase supports alternative names, or aliases, for database members. Aliases are useful when
various labels are used for the same member in various worksheets. One worksheet, for example,
may refer to Cost_of_Goods_Sold as COGS. Aliases also can be used for reporting in alternative
languages or for more formal output name sets, such as account numbers.
Consolidations
Consolidations in Essbase applications are defined by member branches. The database outline
determines consolidation paths. The determination is based on the location of members within
a dimension. Indentation of one member below another indicates a consolidation relationship.
Indenting members is important for the drill-down capabilities in Spreadsheet Add-in. As you
navigate through data, you can drill down through levels of consolidations. The database
outline is the roadmap that determines the levels of data navigation.
Database Outlines 19
20 Introduction to Essbase
Basic Tutorial
3
In This Chapter
Getting Acquainted with Spreadsheet Add-in ...................................................................................21
Preparing to Begin the Tutorial....................................................................................................28
Retrieving Data .....................................................................................................................33
Pivoting, Retaining, and Suppressing Data......................................................................................44
Formatting the Worksheet .........................................................................................................54
Creating Queries Using Essbase Query Designer................................................................................67
Selecting Members ................................................................................................................80
Saving and Disconnecting ........................................................................................................87
On to Advanced Tasks .............................................................................................................88
When you add Spreadsheet Add-in to Microsoft Excel, most spreadsheet operations remain
unchanged; Spreadsheet Add-in simply adds an Essbase menu and toolbar, and mouse shortcuts
with which you can access Essbase applications and databases.
Basic tasks are described in this tutorial chapter. These are tasks that you probably use often
when working with Essbase. Chapter 4 describes more advanced tasks.
Tasks must be completed in succession as each tutorial task builds upon the previous task.
The examples in this tutorial are based on the Sample Basic database that is included with the
Essbase installation. Contact the Essbase system administrator for information about accessing
the Sample Basic database or about accessing other databases on Essbase Server.
Note:
Unregistering clears the registry entries and removes the Essbase menu from Excel; however, it
leaves the Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in components on your computer. To put the Spreadsheet
Add-in back into Excel, run the register program again.
22 Basic Tutorial
4 Click OK twice to close the dialog boxes.
Adding Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in to Excel modifies the Windows Registry to point to where
the Spreadsheet Add-in file is installed.
5 Start Spreadsheet Add-in.
After the Excel startup screen goes away, the Spreadsheet Add-in startup screen is displayed.
If you do not see the Spreadsheet Add-in startup screen or if Excel does not contain an Essbase
menu, see the Hyperion Essbase - System 9 Installation Guide for troubleshooting information.
Note:
Upon using Excel, two dialog boxes may be displayed warning that the esstoolb.xls file may
contain macros. If so, click the Enable Macros button on the first dialog box, and click OK on
the second dialog box. The macros must be enabled for the Essbase toolbar to work.
4 Select File > Close to close the esstoolb.xls file.
You do not need to modify or save the file.
You should not have to install the toolbar again unless you delete the Essbase toolbar from the
Toolbars dialog box in Excel. If you delete the toolbar, perform the installation procedure again.
Note:
If you have toolbars turned off in Excel, you do not see the Essbase toolbar immediately. You
must first enable toolbars. For information on enabling the Essbase toolbar, see “Using the
Essbase Toolbar” on page 24.
Note:
Before you can view the Essbase toolbar, you must install it. See “Installing the Essbase Toolbar
for Excel” on page 23.
Table 2 lists the buttons on the toolbar. To view the Essbase toolbar, select View > Toolbars >
Essbase from the Excel menu bar. A check box must be displayed next to Essbase in the menu.
Note:
If you select the Essbase check box and click Delete, you must reinstall the toolbar. See “Installing
the Essbase Toolbar for Excel” on page 23 for instructions.
24 Basic Tutorial
Button Purpose Description
Navigate with or without data Toggles the Navigate Without Data feature, which tells Essbase to retrieve
or not to retrieve data when you perform navigational operations, such
as pivot, drill down, drill up, keep only, and remove only.
This button serves the same function as the Navigate Without Data check
box in the Essbase Options dialog box (Global tab).
Retrieve Retrieves data into the active worksheet. A retrieve request places data
at the beginning of the active worksheet. When you click the Retrieve
button, if you are not already connected to an instance of Essbase Server,
the Essbase System Login dialog box is displayed.
Tip: If you have mouse actions enabled, you can retrieve data by double-
clicking the primary mouse button in any empty cell in the worksheet. To
enable double-click support, select Essbase > Options, select the Global
tab, and select the Enable Double-Clicking option. For more information,
see “Enabling Mouse Actions” on page 26.
Keep only Retains only the selected member (the active cell) or member range in
the worksheet. Click the Keep Only button to remove all unselected
members from the worksheet.
Remove only Removes the selected member (the active cell) or member range from
the worksheet. Click the Remove Only button to retain all unselected
members in the worksheet.
Zoom in Retrieves and expands data from Essbase according to the options
specified in the Essbase Options dialog box.
When sampling is enabled (Essbase > Sample Data (Zoom In)), an
approximate percentage members of the Essbase database that you
specify is queried when you retrieve and expand data.
Tip: If you have mouse actions enabled, you can drill down on data by
double-clicking the primary mouse button in the cell that contains the
member you want to expand. To enable double-click support, select
Essbase > Options, select the Global tab, and select the Enable Double-
Clicking option. For more information, see “Enabling Mouse Actions” on
page 26.
Zoom out Collapses the view according to the options specified in the Essbase
Options dialog box in the cell that contains the member that you want to
collapse. To enable double-click support for drilling up, select Essbase >
Options, select the Global tab, and select the Enable Double-Clicking
option.
Open Essbase Query Designer Opens the Essbase Query Designer, which makes it easy to define a page
orientation for dimensions and selected database members. You can also
save queries for later use. Query Designer is designed to create report
queries, view attributes, and perform calculations based on attributes.
Set options Enables you to set display, zoom, mode, style, and global options for the
active worksheet to customize the behavior of Spreadsheet Add-in
software. Click the Options button to display the Essbase Options dialog
box.
Select Members Enables you to select members from the multidimensional database
outline. Click the Member Selection button to display the Essbase
Member Selection dialog box.
Attach Linked Objects Enables you to attach comments or files to data cells. Click the Attach
Linked Objects button to display the linked objects browser dialog box.
Note:
The Spreadsheet Add-in online help also provides a comprehensive section on Essbase
Spreadsheet Toolkit, which enables you to customize and automate your use of Essbase by
using macros and VBA functions.
● In the Essbase Query Designer dialog box, click the What’s This? Help button, , and then
click an item in the dialog box to access information on a specific Essbase Query Designer
function.
You can also click the Help button in the navigation pane, , to access the Essbase Query
Designer tutorial and all online help topics.
26 Basic Tutorial
operations. Click refers to use of the primary mouse button. The term right-click refers to
use of the secondary mouse button.
● Select chooses the object that is under the cursor when you press and release the primary
mouse button.
Select a worksheet cell, for example, by moving the cursor to the cell and pressing and
releasing the primary mouse button.
● Click (that is, both click and right-click) describes a quick press-and-release action on a
command object.
Click a button, for example, to execute a command.
● Double-click describes two quick press-and-release actions that are executed in rapid
succession.
Double-click an application icon, for example, to start a Windows application.
● Drag describes a press, hold, and move action.
Place the cursor on an object, press a mouse button, hold the mouse button down as you
move the object, and release the mouse button when you reach your goal. For example, you
can highlight a range of cells in a worksheet by dragging the cursor over the cells.
Note:
Essbase uses a drag operation called a pivot. A pivot requires use of the secondary mouse
button. To execute a pivot, you must press and hold the secondary, rather than the primary,
mouse button while dragging the selection.
Essbase offers enhanced mouse actions in Excel. You can use the mouse to perform any of the
following tasks:
● Retrieve data
● Drill down and drill up on database members
● Pivot (move or transpose) data rows and columns
● Access linked reporting objects
● Access linked partitions
28 Basic Tutorial
Figure 7 Check Box for Compatibility Between Spreadsheets
When Spreadsheet Add-in and Smart View are installed on the same computer, and this check
box is selected, mouse clicks are ignored by Spreadsheet Add-in if the sheet being acted upon is
connected to a data source other than an Essbase application and database (for example, a
Hyperion Planning data source).
5 Click OK to return to the worksheet.
Note:
For information about each option in the Essbase Options dialog box, see the Essbase
Spreadsheet Add-in online help.
30 Basic Tutorial
Figure 10 Initial Settings for Mode Options
Note:
If you are already connected to an Essbase database, Essbase Options also displays a Style tab.
Skip this tab for now.
8 Select the Global tab.
9 Select the appropriate check boxes and option buttons so that your display of the Global tab matches
Figure 11.
32 Basic Tutorial
Reviewing the Sample Basic Database
The Sample Basic database used in this tutorial is based on a hypothetical company in the
beverage industry. The major products of the company are various kinds of sodas. These
products are sold in U.S. markets, which are categorized by state and region. Financial data for
the company is collected monthly and is summarized by quarter and by year. The company uses
Essbase to calculate financial and accounting data, such as sales, cost of goods sold, and payroll.
The company tracks both actual and budget data, as well as the variance and percent variance
between the two.
Retrieving Data
Now that you are more familiar with the Essbase environment, you can connect to an instance
of Essbase Server and start using Essbase and Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in. The following section
guides you through a typical Essbase session where you connect to a database and retrieve data
in various ways.
This topic outlines the following basic retrieval tasks:
● “Connecting to a Database” on page 33
● “Changing a Password” on page 35
● “Retrieving Data from a Database” on page 35
● “Canceling a Data Retrieval Request” on page 37
● “Restoring the Previous Database View” on page 37
● “Drilling Down to More Detail” on page 38
● “Drilling Up to Less Detail” on page 41
● “Customizing Drill-Down and Drill-Up Behavior” on page 42
Make sure that you followed the steps in “Setting Essbase Options” on page 29. If the settings in
the Essbase Options dialog box are different from the settings previously illustrated, the
worksheet view will differ from the illustrations shown in this chapter.
Remember that you can perform common data retrieval tasks in any of the following ways:
● Select commands from the Essbase menu on the Excel menu bar
● Double-click the primary or the secondary mouse button in the appropriate cell (for
Retrieve, Zoom In, and Zoom Out commands)
● In Excel, click the appropriate buttons on the Essbase toolbar
Connecting to a Database
To access Essbase data, you must first connect to a database on an instance of Essbase Server.
This tutorial assumes that you have the appropriate privileges to connect to a server, an
application, and a database.
Retrieving Data 33
To complete the steps that follow, you need to know the name of the server to which you want
to connect, your username, and your password. If you do not have this information, contact the
Essbase system administrator.
Note:
Essbase does not support multiple instances of Excel.
2 From the Server list box, select the server that you want to access.
If the server name that you want is not displayed in the list, you can type in the name of the
server that you want to access.
3 Press Tab to move to the Username text box; type your username in the text box.
4 Press Tab to move to the Password text box; type your password in the text box.
Note:
You can change your password when you are connected to a server. To change your password,
see “Changing a Password” on page 35.
5 Click OK to connect to the server.
A list of available application/database pairs is displayed in the Application/Database list box.
Figure 13 shows an example of a list of application/database pairs. A single instance of Essbase
Server enables simultaneous access to multiple applications. An application can contain multiple
databases. Only the databases to which you have security access are shown in the list.
34 Basic Tutorial
For this tutorial, you use the Sample Basic database. If the Sample Basic database was installed
as part of the Essbase installation, it is shown in the list. If Sample Basic is not shown in the
Application/Database list box, ask the Essbase system administrator to install it.
6 In the Application/Database list box, double-click Sample Basic. You can also select Sample Basic from
the list box and click OK.
If the application is not already running, Essbase automatically starts it. There may be a brief
pause as the application loads. The time required to start an application depends on the number
of databases, the sizes of the databases, and the sizes of the indexes of the databases contained
within the application.
Changing a Password
You can change your password only if you are connected to a server.
This task is optional. Optional tasks do not need to be performed as part of the tutorial. They are provided for information
only.
To change your password:
1. In the Essbase System Login dialog box, select the Change Password button.
2. In the Change Password dialog box in the New Password text box, type your new password.
3. In the Confirm Password text box, type the password again.
The passwords must be identical.
4. Click OK to change your password.
5. Click OK again to close the Essbase System Login dialog box.
Retrieving Data 35
● Spreadsheet Add-in requests data from the server.
● The server processes the request and prepares the data.
● The server transmits the data to Spreadsheet Add-in.
● The spreadsheet application receives the data from Essbase and organizes it in a worksheet.
To help you monitor these operations, Essbase uses three custom cursors, as described in
Table 3.
Note:
Small retrieval actions display the cursors very quickly; you may not notice changes in the
direction of the arrow when retrieving small amounts of data.
Note:
You should be connected to the Sample Basic database. If you are not connected, follow the steps
in “Connecting to a Database” on page 33.
2 Select Essbase > Retrieve.
Essbase retrieves data into the worksheet.
Because you selected the Enable Double-Clicking box in the Essbase Options dialog box (Global
tab) in step 9 on page 31, you can double-click in an empty cell to retrieve data. You can also
click the Retrieve button on the Essbase toolbar.
36 Basic Tutorial
When you retrieve data into an empty worksheet, Essbase returns data from the top levels of
each database dimension. The top level is used as a starting point to navigate, or drill down, into
levels of detailed data. In the Sample Basic database, the following five dimensions are retrieved:
Measures, Product, Market, Scenario, and Year.
Tip:
You can retrieve data by double-clicking in a data cell, selecting Essbase > Retrieve, or by clicking
the Retrieve button on the Essbase toolbar.
Note:
You can cancel a retrieval only while Essbase is processing in Spreadsheet Add-in. You cannot
cancel a retrieval when Essbase is processing from Essbase Server.
This task is optional. Optional tasks do not need to be performed as part of the tutorial. They are provided for information
only.
Retrieving Data 37
To disable Flashback:
1. Select Essbase > Options and click the Global tab.
2. Clear the Enable FlashBack check box.
Note:
For a discussion of the relationships among Essbase database members, see “Database Outlines”
on page 17.
With Essbase, you can retrieve members into columns or rows that are grouped or nested. Row
groups containing more than one level of data are nested within single-member row groups. For
example, a row group containing Qtr1, Qtr2, Qtr3, and Qtr4 may be nested within a single-
member row for a specific region, such as East (see Figure 16). Drilling down to lower levels of
database members is one way to retrieve data into nested groups.
2 In cell D1, double-click to drill down on Market and create nested groups of rows down the worksheet.
38 Basic Tutorial
Figure 16 Result of Drilling Down on the Market Dimension (Nested Rows)
Because worksheets can accommodate more rows than columns, Essbase is preset to retrieve
data into rows when you drill down on a member. You can change this default behavior and
display the results of a drill-down across columns. Drilling across columns applies only to the
top-level member of a dimension (for example, Market or Scenario).
➤ To drill down on Scenario and retrieve its respective members into columns rather than rows:
1 Press and hold down the Alt key.
2 Double-click Scenario (in cell E1).
3 Release the Alt key.
Essbase displays the data in columns across the worksheet, as shown in Figure 17.
Retrieving Data 39
consists of level 0 attribute members. Level 0 attribute members are the lowest level attributes
that are associated with members of a base dimension. The Pkg_Type attribute dimension, for
instance, has two level 0 members, Bottle and Can.
You can extract information on all products sold in a can by entering manually the name Can
in the worksheet. You can also use Essbase Query Designer or the Essbase Member Selection
dialog box to select the attribute and display it in the worksheet.
6 Drill down to all products sold in a can by double-clicking Can in cell C1.
Cola, Diet Cola, and Diet Cream are the members of Product that have the Can attribute.
Figure 19 displays the results:
40 Basic Tutorial
members in columns pivot to rows, and level 0 attribute members already in rows remain
in rows.
● A drill-down on non-level 0 attribute members is the same as the current drill- down
behavior for other types of members.
The drill-down behavior for non-level 0 attribute members is the same as the current drill-down
behavior for other types of members. See the Spreadsheet Add-in online help for examples of
drilling down on level 0 attribute members. For more information on attributes, refer to the
Hyperion Essbase - System 9 Database Administrator's Guide.
Retrieving Data 41
Figure 21 Result of Drilling Up on East
The Zoom In option group contains items that enable you to customize drilling behavior. You
can specify which members are returned to the worksheet during a drill-down operation. For
example, if you select Bottom Level, Essbase retrieves data for the lowest level of members in a
dimension. With this option, a drill-down on Year retrieves Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul,
Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, and Dec.
The Member Retention option group contains items that enable you to customize drilling
retention characteristics. The default selection, Include Selection, retains the selected member
along with the other members retrieved as a result of a drill down. For example, if you drill down
on Qtr1, Essbase retrieves data for Jan, Feb, and Mar, as well as for Qtr1. When this option is
disabled, Essbase retrieves data only for Jan, Feb, and Mar; Qtr1 is eliminated.
For more information on the Zoom In and Member Retention option groups, see the
Spreadsheet Add-in online help.
2 In the Zoom In option group, select the All Levels option and click OK to save the setting.
3 In cell A3, drill down (double-click) on Market.
4 In cell C2, drill down (double-click) on Scenario.
42 Basic Tutorial
Essbase retrieves all members of Market and Scenario, as shown in Figure 23. For the Market
dimension, Essbase drilled down two levels to get to the bottom-most members, which are
individual states. The Scenario dimension contains only one member level, so the members of
Scenario would also be retrieved if you selected Next Level in the Zoom In option group.
3 Before moving on with the tutorial, disable the Within Selected Group option:
a. Select Essbase > Options and select the Zoom tab.
b. In the Member Retention option group, clear the Within Selected Group check box, and
click OK.
4 Select File > Close to close the worksheet.
Retrieving Data 43
You do not need to save the worksheet.
Note:
You should already be connected to the Sample Basic database. If you are not connected, follow
the steps in “Connecting to a Database” on page 33.
2 Select Essbase > Retrieve.
3 Drill down (double-click) on Measures and Product (in cells B1 and C1, respectively).
4 Press and hold down the Alt key, and, in cell E1, drill down (double-click) on Scenario.
44 Basic Tutorial
Figure 25 shows the spreadsheet view before pivoting.
Figure 28 shows the result of Essbase pivoting the Scenario members (Actual, Budget, Variance,
and Variance%) from a column group to a row group that is displayed to the left of the Product
members.
The pivot changes the order of the row groups. The result is shown in Figure 30
46 Basic Tutorial
Figure 30 Result of Pivoting the Order of Row Groups
In this example, notice that both the source cell and the destination cell are now members.
Whenever the source cell and the destination cell are members of different row groups, Essbase
exchanges the member groups. You must select a destination cell that contains a member name
to exchange row members. You can also exchange column members by choosing a destination
cell in another column that contains a member name.
Occasionally, the data that you want to remove from the worksheet does not lie in an adjacent
range of cells.
48 Basic Tutorial
Figure 34 Result of Retaining a Data Subset (Nonadjacent Cells)
3 In cell D2, drill down (double-click) on Year by pressing and holding down the Alt key.
Essbase drills down without retrieving data.
4 In cell C3, select Actual and select Essbase > Pivot.
Essbase executes the pivot but does not retrieve data. The result is shown in Figure 37.
Note:
You get the same result by pivoting any of the other Scenario members.
50 Basic Tutorial
Figure 37 Result of Pivoting (Navigate Without Data Enabled)
5 In cell G1, click the secondary mouse button on Market and drag Market to product 100 (cell A4).
Essbase executes the pivot without retrieving data. The result is shown in Figure 38.
Navigating without data also works with the Keep Only and Remove Only commands.
➤ To navigate without data when using the Keep Only or Remove Only command:
1 Select Qtr1 (cell D2) and Qtr2 (cell E2) and select Essbase > Keep Only.
Essbase retains only the selected members and does not retrieve data, as shown in Figure 39.
2 Select products 300 (cell B7), 400 (cell B9), and Diet (cell B11) and select Essbase > Remove Only.
Essbase executes the Remove Only command without actually querying the database for
information, as shown in Figure 40.
➤ To turn off Navigate Without Data when you are ready to retrieve data:
1 Select Essbase > Navigate Without Data.
Essbase removes the check mark next to the menu item.
You can also disable Navigate Without Data by clearing the appropriate option in the Essbase
Options dialog box (Global tab) or by clicking the Navigate Without Data button on the Essbase
toolbar.
2 In cell A3, drill down (double-click) on Market.
Essbase drills down on the Market dimension and also retrieves data into the worksheet. The
result is shown in Figure 41.
Note that if you want to retrieve data without changing the current worksheet view, you can also
retrieve data by simply double-clicking in any data cell or by selecting Essbase > Retrieve (after
disabling Navigate Without Data).
52 Basic Tutorial
● Zero data values
A missing value is not the same as a zero value that is loaded into the Essbase database. When
data does not exist for a data cell in Essbase, a value of #Missing is returned to the worksheet. If
any cell in a row contains a value, that row is not suppressed on a retrieval.
Using Essbase, you can suppress missing and zero values from the display in the worksheet. In
addition, you can tell Essbase to suppress underscore characters that are in some member
names.
➤ To suppress rows that contain missing values from being displayed in the worksheet:
1 In cell C3, double-click the secondary mouse button to drill up on Profit.
2 Pivot Measures (in cell C3) to Actual (in cell D1).
3 In cell B4, drill down (double-click) on product 100.
In the South member group, the product 100-30 row contains all missing values, indicating that
this product is not sold in the South, as shown in Figure 42. You may need to scroll down the
worksheet to see this row.
Note:
After you change a worksheet option in the Essbase Options dialog box, you must perform a
retrieval or drill operation to put the new setting into effect.
54 Basic Tutorial
This section of the tutorial starts with a new worksheet.
Note:
You should still be connected to the Sample Basic database. If you are not connected, follow the
steps in “Connecting to a Database” on page 33.
3 In cell A2, drill down (double-click) on Year.
4 Select Essbase > Options.
5 In the Essbase Options dialog box, select the Style tab.
The Style tab is available only when you are connected to a database.
Essbase displays the Style tab, as shown in Figure 44.
In the Members group box, you can define styles for various types of database members, such
as parent, child, and shared members.
6 In the Members group box, select the Parent check box.
Clicking this box defines a font and color style for parent member names. Essbase defines a
default color of navy for all parent members. You can select a font format by clicking the Format
button to the right of the Members group box and using the Font dialog box.
7 Click the Format button that is to the right of the Members group box.
Essbase displays the Font dialog box.
8 In the Font style list box, select Bold Italic and then click OK.
Essbase displays an example of the selected style in the Sample box, as shown in Figure 45.
56 Basic Tutorial
9 Click OK again.
Even though you have defined styles, they are not enabled until you select the Use Styles check
box from the Essbase Options dialog box and refresh the worksheet.
10 Select Essbase > Options, and select the Display tab.
11 In the Cells option group, select the Use Styles check box to enable the styles, and then click OK.
12 Select Essbase > Retrieve to refresh the worksheet and apply the styles.
Essbase displays parent member names in bold, navy font.
13 In cell A2, drill down (double-click) on Qtr1.
Essbase displays Jan, Feb, and Mar in a regular font, because these members do not have
underlying children.
5 Click the Format button that is to the right of the Dimensions group box.
Essbase displays the Font dialog box.
6 From the Font style list box, select Bold, and then click OK.
Essbase displays an example of the selected style in the Sample box.
7 From the list of dimensions, select the Measures dimension, and from the Background Color drop-down
list, select Fuschia.
8 From the list of dimensions, select Product, and clear the Cell Border check box.
9 From the Background Color drop-down list, select Aqua.
10 Scroll down the list of dimensions, and select Market.
11 Select the Cell Border check box, and click the Format button that is to the right of the Dimensions list.
12 When the Font dialog box is displayed, from the Font style list box select Italic, and then click OK.
13 From the list of dimensions, select Scenario, and from the Background Color drop-down list, select Red.
14 Click the Format button, and from the Background Color list box, select White.
15 Click OK twice to return to the worksheet.
Note:
When you define styles, your choices are saved to the Windows Registry on your local computer.
You can define one set of styles per database.
16 In cell D1, drill down (double-click) on Market.
17 Press and hold down the Alt key and drill down (double-click) on Scenario in cell E1.
18 Select Essbase > Retrieve to refresh the worksheet.
58 Basic Tutorial
Essbase redisplays the worksheet and implements the newly defined styles. For example,
members of the Scenario dimension are displayed with a red background.
This task is optional. Optional tasks do not need to be performed as part of the tutorial. They are provided for information
only.
In general, to apply styles to data cells, follow these steps:
1. Select Essbase > Options, and select the Style tab.
2. In the Data Cells option group, select the Linked Objects, Integration Server Drill-Through, Read Only, or Read/
Write check box.
3. Click Format.
4. In the Font dialog box, specify the font, font size, font style, color, and effects, and click OK.
An example of the selected style is displayed in the Sample box.
Removing Styles
Styles can be very helpful tools for keeping track of data in Spreadsheet Add-in. Applying styles,
however, involves additional processing time during a retrieval request. This additional
processing has a slight impact on the speed of Essbase retrievals.
If you do not want to apply styles to the worksheet view, you can clear them. You can also turn
off styles so that they are not displayed when you refresh the view (by selecting Essbase > Retrieve,
for example). So that the worksheet matches the illustrations presented in the following tasks,
do not remove styles if you are going through the tutorial.
If styles are applied to the worksheet and you execute the FlashBack command, these styles are
temporarily removed from the current view. The styles are reapplied whenever you initiate a
retrieval.
This task is optional. Optional tasks do not need to be performed as part of the tutorial. They are provided for information
only.
To remove all styles from a worksheet:
60 Basic Tutorial
1. Select all cells in the worksheet.
2. From the Excel menu bar, select Edit > Clear > Formats.
To turn off styles:
1. Select Essbase > Options and, select the Display tab.
2. In the Cells option group, clear the Use Styles check box, and click OK.
Note:
If you turn styles off without clearing them from the worksheet, the styles remain in the current
worksheet view when you refresh the view. The styles remain to avoid removing any styles that
you may apply to individual cells using native worksheet formatting options.
6 Click OK.
7 Select Essbase > Retrieve to refresh the worksheet and display the alias names.
The result is shown in Figure 50. Essbase changes the Product codes (100, 200, and so forth) to
their predefined aliases (Colas, Root Beer, Cream Soda, and so forth). In the Sample Basic
database, Product is the only dimension with predefined aliases.
Notice that Essbase is still displaying the styles that you created and applied in the previous
sections.
62 Basic Tutorial
➤ To display the name and alias of a member:
1 In cell B8, double-click the secondary mouse button to drill up on Qtr2.
2 In cell C2, select Colas, and then select Essbase > Pivot.
3 In cell C3. select Year, and then select Essbase > Pivot.
4 Select Essbase > Options, and select the Display tab.
5 In the Aliases option group, select the check box for Use Both Member Names and Aliases for Row
Dimensions.
Be sure that Use Aliases is already checked.
6 Click OK to return to the worksheet, and select Essbase > Retrieve.
The result is shown in the section called “Starting Spreadsheet Add-in”. Essbase displays both
member names and their aliases for row dimensions. Because the only row dimension in this
example that has preassigned aliases is Product, only the Product members display their aliases.
Region members simply repeat the member name instead of displaying an alias.
You may notice that even if you clear the Repeat Member Labels check box in the Essbase Options
dialog box, Essbase retains the repeated member labels in the worksheet view. To remove the
repeated labels, you need to perform one of these tasks:
● Clear the check box and open a new worksheet
● Clear the check box and pivot the row group to a column group and then pivot it back to a
row group (or the reverse, from a column group to a row group, and back)
● Select Essbase > FlashBack and clear the check box
5 Before returning to the tutorial, complete the following actions:
64 Basic Tutorial
a. Select Essbase > Options, and select the Display tab.
b. In the Cells option group, clear the Repeat Member Labels check box, and then click
OK.
c. Select File > Close to close the worksheet.
You do not need to save the worksheet.
The number of members in the qualified member name depends on the number of levels needed
to uniquely define the duplicate member.
You can choose to display the qualified member name as a cell comment. If a member is a
duplicate, the cell contains a cell comment indicator. Hover over the comment indicator to view
the qualified member name. You may also opt to display the qualified member name directly
on the sheet.
Note that in the Essbase Member Selection dialog box in the Spreadsheet Add-in, if duplicate
members are selected, you can hover over the duplicate member names in the Rules list box to
view the qualified member name. This is true regardless of the comment settings made in Excel.
When viewing the qualified member name as a cell comment, you will see the qualified member
name between the <esskey></esskey> identifier; for example:
<esskey>[East].[New York]</esskey>
After a Save or Save As operation, the qualified member name in the cell comment field is
displayed between the <esskey></esskey> and <essdisp></essdisp> identifiers; for
example:
<esskey>[East].[New York]</esskey><essdisp>[East].[New York]</essdisp>
Do not edit the text between the <esskey></esskey> identifier or the <essdisp></
essdisp> identifier (which appears after a save operation until the next Retrieve). These
identifiers appear in the comment field regardless of the Qualified Member Name display settings
you make. Changing the text between the identifiers may invalidate the worksheet.
Note that you can type comments before or after the identifiers and that these comments are
retained by Essbase with each retrieval.
If the user hovers over the indicator for Albany, New York, in the Customer dimension, the cell
comment reads:
<esskey>[Customer].[New York].[Albany]</esskey>
Further, if the user hovers over the indicator for Albany, California, in the Customer dimension,
the cell comment reads:
<esskey>[Customer].[California].[Albany]</esskey>
In a complex spreadsheet, the cell comment allows the user to easily pinpoint a member
combination.
In the above examples, if the “Show Qualified Member Names on Sheet” check box is selected,
for the instances of Albany in the Customer and Market dimensions, the qualified member name
is displayed directly on the worksheet.
Note:
To show qualified member names as comments, you must enable the “Comment Indicator only”
option in Microsoft Excel.
This task is optional. Optional tasks do not need to be performed as part of the tutorial. They are provided for information
only.
In Spreadsheet Add-in, to display duplicate member names:
1. Select Essbase > Options.
2. In the Display tab, select one or both of the following options from the Duplicate Members group:
● Show Qualified Member Names on Sheet to view the qualified member name on the sheet.
● Show Qualified Member Names as Comments to view the qualified member name when the cursor is hovered
over the comment indicator in a cell. When you use this option, ensure that the Comment indicator only
option of Excel is selected.
3. Click OK to close the dialog box.
66 Basic Tutorial
Creating Queries Using Essbase Query Designer
So far, you have discovered how to retrieve data and navigate through Spreadsheet Add-in in
an ad hoc fashion. Essbase also provides a query designer so that you can define a database query
for retrieving dimensions and database members into the worksheet.
Before Essbase actually retrieves data, Essbase Query Designer provides a series of panels so that
you can request the data that you want to view in the worksheet. It is particularly helpful when
you know exactly which data you want to retrieve from the server. In addition, you can save a
query and use it again.
The Essbase Query Designer window (shown in Figure 54 on page 69) consists of the following
panels:
● The navigation panel at the left of the window provides access to the various features in
Essbase Query Designer. You can display all the dimensions used in a particular query and
access the various properties of each dimension member.
● The hint panel at the top right of the window provides a brief description of the feature that
is selected from the navigation panel.
● The properties panel at the bottom right of the window provides access to the following
functions:
❍ Layout: Design the layout of the spreadsheet report. To change the default layout, select
a dimension tile and drag it to one of the other dimension boxes. To access the member
select panel and to define a member for a query, double-click a dimension tile.
❍ Member Select: Select members that you want to display in the rows of the spreadsheet
report. To select a member, right-click the member, and select Add to Selection Rules.
You can also double-click a member to add it to the selection rules.
❍ Member Filter: Filter the member selection by attribute, generation name, level name,
pattern string, or UDA.
❍ Data Filter: Retrieve rows of data. The retrieval is based on the ranking of the rows within
certain columns. Use this panel to access the data restriction panel.
❍ Data Restriction: Filter data by comparing it to a fixed data value (including a negative
value), a set of data values, or #Missing data values.
❍ Data Sort: Sort rows in ascending or descending order. The sort is based on column data
values.
❍ Messages and Confirmation: Turn on and turn off certain messages from Essbase Query
Designer.
❍ Help: Access documentation about Essbase Query Designer.
See “About Creating and Changing Queries” on page 68 for an overview of Essbase Query
Designer. The portions of the tutorial that follow step you through the following query design
procedures:
● “Creating Queries” on page 68
● “Saving Queries” on page 74
● “Applying Queries” on page 76
Note:
Excel query functionality is not supported in Spreadsheet Add-in. Use the Essbase Query
Designer to define database queries.
Note:
Files created using the obsolete Retrieval Wizard feature can be opened in Essbase Query
Designer. If, however, a query contains more than two member filters per selection rule or more
than two data restrictions, the member filters may be out of order. To ensure correct results,
rearrange the member filters in the navigation panel, if necessary.
For complete information on Essbase Query Designer options, see the Spreadsheet Add-in online
help.
Caution!
Manipulation of worksheets in VBA such as naming worksheets or moving worksheets may not
work when EQD is running.
Creating Queries
➤ To create a query using Essbase Query Designer:
1 Select Essbase > Query Designer.
Essbase displays the Essbase Query Designer welcome panel, as shown in Figure 54.
68 Basic Tutorial
Figure 54 Essbase Query Designer Displaying Welcome Panel
2 In the navigation panel, select [Book1]Sheet1, right-click, and select New > Query.
The layout panel of Essbase Query Designer is displayed, as shown in Figure 55.
3 Define the worksheet layout by dragging the dimension tiles in the properties panel as follows:
a. Drag Market and Product to the Row location.
b. Drag Measures to the Page location.
c. Drag Scenario below Year (in the Column location).
Figure 56 shows the results of dragging the dimension tiles in the properties panel.
4 In the navigation panel, select the Measures dimension by selecting the Measures icon. Alternatively, double-
click the Measures tile in the layout panel.
The member select properties panel, where you can select a member from the Measures
dimension, is displayed.
Note:
You can select only one member from the dimension in the Page location.
5 In the Members list box, select Profit, right-click, and select Add to Selection Rules.
Alternatively, double-click Profit to add it to the selection rules.
Profit is displayed in the Selection Rules list box.
70 Basic Tutorial
Figure 57 Essbase Query Designer Displaying the Member Select Panel
Note:
In Essbase Query Designer, after you make your selections, you do not need to confirm them;
for example, you do not have to click OK. If you do not select members from any given
dimension, Essbase uses the top member of the dimension.
6 Select members of the Year dimension as follows:
a. In the navigation panel, click the Year icon. Alternatively, double-click the Year tile in the
layout panel.
The member select properties panel for the Year dimension is displayed.
b. In the Members list box, select Qtr1, right-click, and select Add to Selection Rules.
c. Add Qtr2, Qtr3, and Qtr4 to the selection rules in the same manner.
Because Year is in a Column location, you can select one or more members.
The result is shown in Figure 58.
72 Basic Tutorial
Figure 59 Selecting Members of Product
f. To view the list of all product codes that will be retrieved into the worksheet, select any of
the entries in the Selection Rules list box (for example, 200), right-click, and select
Preview.
Essbase displays the Member Selection Preview dialog box, as shown in Figure 60, with
the selected product dimensions listed.
Saving Queries
➤ To save a query in Essbase Query Designer:
1 In the navigation panel, select [Book1]Sheet1, Query1, and then right-click and select Save Query.
The Essbase Query Designer Save As Query dialog box is displayed, as shown in Figure 62. You
can save your query to the server or to your own client machine. To save to the server, you must
have a security level of database designer or higher. Contact the Essbase system administrator
for more information.
2 In the Location group box, select Client.
74 Basic Tutorial
Figure 62 Essbase Query Designer Save As Query Dialog Box
4 Select a location, in the File name text box, type Basic1 and then click Save.
As shown in Figure 64, Essbase Query Designer displays information about the query that you
just saved. You will use the Basic1 query again in Chapter 4.
Applying Queries
➤ To apply a query in Essbase Query Designer:
1 In the navigation panel, select [Book1]Sheet1, Basic1.
2 Right-click the Basic1 query, and select Apply Query.
The result of the query is displayed in the worksheet, as shown in Figure 65.
In the Display tab under Essbase > Options, if you select Use Styles and Use Sheet Options with
Query Designer, the styles you selected for dimension members will be applied to the initial
query results. If you do not select Use Sheet Options with Query Designer, even if you have
selected Use Styles, they will not be applied to the initial query results. To apply styles, select
76 Basic Tutorial
Essbase > Retrieve. When Essbase returns the data to the worksheet, you are free to further
investigate the data by performing Zoom, Keep Only, Remove Only, and Pivot operations.
Note:
The XLS file that results from applying the query can be saved for possible use as an Essbase data
load data file.
Deleting Queries
You can delete a query only from the location where you saved that query. For example, if you
save a query in the /AnalyticServices/client/sample directory, you can delete the query
from within the sample directory. You cannot delete the query from within Essbase Query
Designer.
Note:
The Tutorial button launches ssxleqd.pdf, which links to the tutorial for Essbase Query
Designer. The tutorial is part of this guide, Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in for Excel User's Guide, and
is located in the essexcel.pdf file. To access the ssxleqd.pdf and essexcel.pdf files from
Essbase Query Designer, they should be installed in $ARBORPATH/docs/pdf and Adobe
Acrobat Reader must be installed. You can obtain Acrobat Reader at www.adobe.com.
78 Basic Tutorial
Note:
The book may be a number other than 1. For example, it may be [Book5], if four worksheets
are already open.
4 Type your password, and click OK. Select Sample Basic, and click OK.
5 Select [Book1]Sheet2 (or Sheet3), right-click, and select Connect.
The Essbase System Login dialog box is displayed.
6 Type your password, and click OK. Select Samppart Company, and click OK.
Note:
You are restricted to one connection per worksheet. The connection information is displayed
in the query information panel of the Essbase Query Designer only when you open an existing
query or create a new query.
7 Select [Book1]Sheet1, right click, and select New > Query to create a new query based on Sample Basic.
8 Select [Book1]Sheet2, right-click, and select New > Query to create a new query based on Samppart
Company,
9 To open an existing query, right click, and select Open Query.
You are now ready to create queries or to open existing queries.
➤ To enable Essbase Query Designer to use your previously set worksheet options:
1 Select Essbase > Options.
2 In the Essbase Options dialog box, select the Display tab.
3 Select the Use Sheet Options with Query Designer check box, and select OK.
4 Select Essbase > Retrieve to refresh the worksheet.
Essbase displays the results of the query that you created in Essbase Query Designer and
implements your previously set worksheet options. For example, in Figure 68, aliases, instead
of the numeric codes, are now displayed for the Product dimension.
Selecting Members
An Essbase database may contain hundreds or even thousands of members, making it difficult
to remember each member name. You can use the Essbase Member Selection dialog box to find
and select members and to define the layout of members in the worksheet. In addition, you can
use Boolean operators, such as AND, OR, and NOT, or other search parameters to specify criteria
and conditions that members must meet for the member selection. Member selection is an
important method of creating a spreadsheet report for the data that you want to retrieve.
For complete information on the Essbase Member Selection dialog box, see the Spreadsheet
Add-in online help.
Note:
You should be connected to the Sample Basic database. If you are not connected, follow the steps
in “Connecting to a Database” on page 33.
2 Select Essbase > Retrieve.
3 Select Product and select Essbase > Pivot to display Product as a row, rather than a column, dimension.
80 Basic Tutorial
4 Select Product again, and select Essbase > Member Selection.
Essbase displays the Essbase Member Selection dialog box, as shown in Figure 70. In the Essbase
Member Selection dialog box, Essbase displays the Product dimension in the Dimension drop-
down list and its children, Colas, Root Beer, Cream Soda, Fruit Soda, and Diet Drinks, in the
Members list box.
Selecting Members 81
7 In the Essbase Member Selection dialog box, click Add to add Colas to the Rules list box.
Alternatively, you can double-click an item in the Members list box to add the item.
8 Select Product, and click the Find button.
Essbase displays the Find Member dialog box (see Figure 72).
In the Find Member dialog box, you can do pattern-match searches for members in the selected
dimension. You can use wildcard patterns—trailing asterisk *, and single-character match, ?.
Essbase locates the members that match the text string and groups them in outline order, so that
they can be selected as a group.
Note:
You can use the trailing asterisk wildcard and single-character wildcard in the text string. The *
wildcard replaces a string of characters, and the ? wildcard replaces a single character. J?n and
100* are examples of valid wildcard strings; *-10 and J*n are examples of invalid wildcard strings.
9 In the Find Member dialog box, type D* in the text box, as shown in Figure 72.
82 Basic Tutorial
18 In the Subset Dialog box, in the first drop-down list, select Caffeinated. In the second drop-down list, select
Is. In the third drop-down list, select Caffeinated_True.
19 Click the Add as AND Condition button.
Essbase displays Caffeinated = Caffeinated_True in the Conditions list box, as shown in
Figure 73.
When you use Add as AND Condition, the subsetting condition in the Conditions list box is
evaluated using AND logic. AND logic means that the selection must meet the current condition
and the condition that follows it in the Conditions list box.
20 In the first drop-down list, select Ounces. In the second drop-down list, select the logical operator “=”. In
the third drop-down list, select Ounces_12.
21 Click the Add as AND Condition button.
Essbase displays Ounces = Ounces_12 in the Conditions box.
22 In the first drop-down list, select Ounces. In the second drop-down list, select the logical operator “<=”. In
the third drop-down list, select Ounces_32.
23 Click the Add as OR Condition button.
Essbase displays Ounces <= Ounces_32 in the Conditions box.
When you use Add as OR Condition, the subsetting condition in the Conditions list box is
evaluated using OR logic. OR logic means that the selection must meet the current condition
or the condition that follows it in the Conditions list box.
24 In the first drop-down list, select Pkg Type. In the second drop-down list, select Is. In the third drop-down
list, select Bottle.
25 Click the Add as AND Condition button.
Essbase displays Pkg Type = Bottle in the Conditions list box.
26 In the Conditions box, select Ounces <= Ounces_32, and then click the Add ( button.
27 Select Pkg Type = Bottle, and click the Add ) button.
Selecting Members 83
The Add ( and Add ) buttons add a left parenthesis and right parenthesis, respectively, to selected
items. Use parentheses for grouping multiple subsetting conditions to determine the order of
priority for analyzing the conditions.
Each item in the Conditions list box can have either the left or right parenthesis, but not both.
In this example, Essbase first evaluates members that are less than or equal to 32 ounces and are
packaged in a bottle. Essbase then evaluates the results from this condition against members that
are 12 ounces.
Note:
Use the Remove ( ) button to remove an individual group of parentheses from a selected item
in the Conditions list box. Use the Remove All ( ) button to remove all parenthetical groupings
from the Conditions list box.
84 Basic Tutorial
Figure 75 Member Selection That Results from Subsetting Conditions
32 Click Preview to preview the members that will be retrieved in the worksheet.
Essbase displays the Member Preview dialog box, as shown in Figure 77.
Selecting Members 85
Figure 77 Members to be Retrieved in the Worksheet
Note:
The FlashBack command cannot undo a Member Selection action.
35 Starting with Diet Cream, type Year next to each product (see Figure 79).
You need to perform this step so that every product has a matching Year dimension associated
with it in the report.
86 Basic Tutorial
Figure 80 Result After Retrieving with Member Selection
Saving a Worksheet
At any point during the Essbase session, you can save the active worksheet with the commands,
File > Save or File > Save As. Thus, you can keep a personal library of database views. You can
open the worksheet during a later session and retrieve the latest data values to update the view.
Note:
To save the Essbase option settings in a worksheet, you must explicitly go to the Essbase Options
dialog box and set the options prior to saving the worksheet. Otherwise, when you open the
same worksheet in a new Spreadsheet Add-in session, the options settings for the current session
will override any previous settings for the worksheet. Make sure that the worksheet for which
you option settings saved is not a protected worksheet. Essbase cannot save option settings for
a protected worksheet.
2 From the list, select a worksheet name, and then click Disconnect.
3 Repeat step 2 until you have disconnected all active sheets.
4 Click Close to close the Essbase Disconnect dialog box.
Note:
You can also disconnect from the server by closing the spreadsheet application. An abnormal
shutdown of a Spreadsheet Add-in session, such as a power loss or system failure, does not
disconnect your server connection.
Logging Off
Essbase provides two administrative features that control user connections:
● Forced Logout, where an administrator disconnects users at any point in time. This logout
usually occurs when maintenance operations are performed on databases.
● Auto Logout, where Essbase automatically disconnects users that are inactive for a timed
interval specified by an administrator.
On to Advanced Tasks
Now that you have completed the basic tutorial, you are ready to move on to more complex
tasks. In the next chapter, you will use the sample spreadsheet files to perform advanced tasks
in Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in.
88 Basic Tutorial
Advanced Tutorial
4
In This Chapter
Preparing to Begin the Tutorial....................................................................................................89
Performing Advanced Retrieval Tasks ............................................................................................94
Using Linked Reporting Objects ................................................................................................ 133
Connecting to Multiple Databases ............................................................................................. 144
Ways to Access Linked Partitions............................................................................................... 145
Updating Data on the Server.................................................................................................... 147
Database Calculation............................................................................................................ 149
Creating Multiple Worksheets from Data ...................................................................................... 150
Working with Currency Conversions ............................................................................................ 155
The tutorial that you completed in Chapter 3 teaches basic data retrieval and navigation concepts
for Essbase Spreadsheet Add-in. This chapter builds on your basic skills and expands your
knowledge of Essbase and Spreadsheet Add-in.
In this advanced tutorial, you use several sample spreadsheet files for Excel that were installed
as part of the default Essbase installation. These files are stored in the \AnalyticServices
\client\sample directory. You also reconnect to the Sample Basic database.
Connecting to a Database
To access Essbase data for the advanced tutorial, first connect to the Sample Basic database on
the server. This tutorial assumes that you have the appropriate privileges to connect to a server,
an application, and a database.
Note:
To complete the steps that follow, you need to know the name of the Essbase Server, your
username, and your password. If you do not have this information, contact the Essbase system
administrator.
2 From the Server drop-down list, select the server that you want to access and then press Tab to move to the
Username text box.
If the server name that you want is not shown in the list, type the name of the server that you
want to access in the Server text box and press Tab.
3 In the Username text box, type your username and then press Tab to move to the Password text box.
4 In the Password text box, type your password.
Note:
You can change your password when you are connected to a server. See “Changing a Password”
on page 35.
5 Click OK to connect to the server.
Essbase displays a list of available application and database pairs in the Application/Database
list box. An instance of Essbase Server enables simultaneous access to multiple applications. An
application can contain multiple databases. Only the databases to which you have security access
are displayed in the list.
For this tutorial, you use the Sample Basic database. If the Sample Basic database was installed
as part of the Essbase installation, it is shown in the list. If Sample Basic is not shown in the
Application/Database list box, ask the Essbase system administrator to install it.
90 Advanced Tutorial
Figure 83 Available Application and Database Pairs
6 In the Application/Database list box, double-click Sample Basic, or select Sample Basic and then click
OK.
If the application is not already running, Essbase automatically starts it. There may be a brief
pause as the application loads; the time required to start an application depends on the number
of databases, the sizes of the databases, and the sizes of the indexes of the databases that are
contained within the applications.
Note:
For information on each option in the Essbase Options dialog box, see the Spreadsheet Add-in
online help.
92 Advanced Tutorial
Figure 86 Initial Settings for Mode Options
10 Select OK to save the settings for this session and close the Essbase Options dialog box.
The settings in the Essbase Options dialog box may change as you access the various sample
spreadsheet files as part of the tutorial. Leave the settings as they are unless the tutorial advises
you to change them. If you have different option settings, the illustrations presented in this
chapter may not match the worksheet view.
Filtering Data
Despite the ease and speed with which you can navigate through large Essbase databases, it is
not practical to use the capabilities of the spreadsheet application to filter and sort very large
databases; however, Essbase includes powerful data filtering and sorting capabilities.
In Chapter 3, you learned to use Essbase Query Designer to define a dimensional layout and to
select members to view. Essbase Query Designer also provides a powerful tool to define
conditional retrievals.
Note:
If you skipped the tutorial in Chapter 3, follow the steps in “Creating Queries Using Essbase
Query Designer” on page 67 to create and save the Basic1 query.
94 Advanced Tutorial
➤ To become familiar with the capabilities of Essbase Query Designer, work with the query, Basic1,
that you saved in Chapter 3, and perform the following steps:
1 Select Essbase > Query Designer.
The query information panel of Essbase Query Designer is displayed.
2 In the navigation panel, select [Book1]Sheet1.
3 Right-click and select Open Query.
The Open Query dialog box is displayed.
4 From the location that you specified in Chapter 3, select the Basic1 file.
5 Click OK.
The member selection, displayed in the properties panel, remains unaltered from the last Essbase
Query Designer session.
6 From the navigation panel, select Data Filtering.
Essbase displays the data filter settings in the data filter panel, as shown in Figure 88. The filter
controls the number of data rows that are retrieved. The number is based on the column criteria
that you define. You can define data filtering criteria on data values that reside in one or more
columns of the view.
96 Advanced Tutorial
You can further filter the data output by specifying data comparison operations in the Data
Restrictions list box.
11 In the navigation panel, select the Data Filtering icon.
The data filters that you specified are displayed in the properties panel.
12 In the Data Restrictions list box, double-click.
The data restriction settings are displayed in the properties panel.
13 Select the A value of option and type 500 in the value text box.
Observe that the “is” option in the Data drop-down list box changed to =.
14 Click the down arrow of the Data drop-down list box and select <=.
15 Click the down arrow of the Column used for filter drop-down list box and select Qtr1, Actual.
16 In the navigation panel, select the Data Filtering icon, right-click, and select Apply Query.
Notice that the query results now reflect only Actual and Budget data that are less than or equal
to 500.
17 In the navigation panel, select the Data Filtering icon to display the data filter setting in the properties
panel.
18 In the Data Restrictions list box, select Qtr1, Actual <= 500, right-click, and select New Data
Restriction.
19 In the Data drop-down list box, click the down arrow and select <.
20 Select the option, the data values in, and from the drop-down list, select Qtr2, Actual.
21 Under Combined With Other Restrictions, select the Or option.
22 In the navigation panel, click the Data Filtering icon to access the data filter panel.
23 In the Data Restrictions list box, double-click to create a new data restriction.
24 In the Data drop-down list box, click the down arrow and select is not.
25 Click the button for the #Missing Value option.
This option instructs Essbase to discard data that have #Missing values.
26 In the Column used for filter drop-down list, select Qtr1, Actual.
27 Under Combined With Other Restrictions, select the And option.
28 In the navigation panel, click the Data Filtering icon to access the data filter panel.
The data restrictions should be displayed as shown in Figure 90:
29 Select the Data Filtering icon, right-click, and select Apply Query.
Essbase retrieves data for all the quarters. Notice that the retrieved data for Qtr1, Actual is less
than or equal to 500 or is less than Qtr2, Actual. The results should be displayed as shown in
Figure 91:
If you wanted to delete all data restrictions, select the Data Filtering icon in the navigation panel,
right-click, and select Delete All Data Restrictions. Alternatively, select any data restriction in
the Data Restriction box, right-click, and select Delete All Data Restrictions.
98 Advanced Tutorial
To delete a particular data restriction, select the data restriction in the query outline, right-click,
and select Delete Data Restriction. Alternatively, select the data restriction in the Data Restriction
box, right-click, and select Delete Data Restriction.
Sorting Data
In the data sort panel, you can sort the output from the Basic1 query in ascending or descending
order.
Note:
The values that you are ranking and sorting must be the same. For example, you cannot specify
Product in the “Dimension being ranked” drop-down list box and Market in the “Dimension
being sorted” drop-down list box. If you specify different values, Essbase Query Designer
automatically changes both values to the last specified value.
10 To close the worksheet, select File > Close.
You do not need to save the worksheet.
The sample file row and column dimension groups are asymmetric. Thus, the nested member
groups from the Product dimension differ in member content within respective markets. For
example, Colas and Fruit Soda are included in East but not in West. In addition, Actual data is
displayed for Qtr1, whereas Budget data is displayed for Qtr2, Qtr3, and Qtr4. Also notice that
the sample file displays styles for members of the Scenario and Year dimensions.
3 Leave the sample file open for the next tutorial task.
Essbase combines the Product members into all unique members. For example, Root Beer, which
is displayed twice in Figure 95 on page 102, is displayed only once in the current view. Colas,
which is displayed in only one market in Figure 95, now is displayed in East and West.
Essbase also removes the blank line between Product row groups. A pivot action always
eliminates any rows or columns in which all cells are empty.
2 Close the sample file without saving the changes.
This task is optional. Optional tasks do not need to be performed as part of the tutorial. They are provided for information
only.
In Spreadsheet Add-in, to drill down to a sample of members:
1. Select Essbase > Sample Data (Zoom In) to enable sampling.
A check mark displayed next to the Sample Data (Zoom In) menu command indicates that sampling is
enabled.
Notes on Sampling
● When drilling down on Hybrid Analysis, the following limitations apply:
❍ Sampling with the All Levels option is not supported with Hybrid Analysis members.
❍ Sampling with Same Level and Same Generation options are not supported.
● When sampling is enabled, a combination of the algorithms used by Essbase and the
sampling percentage you set sometimes makes the following scenarios possible:
❍ During a Zoom In operation, no members are retrieved. This can happen in some cases
where a dimension is small.
❍ During a Zoom In operation, all members are retrieved. This can happen in some cases
where the sampling percentage is very small.
Rule 1
In the worksheet, no numeric cells can be located before the first Essbase data cell. For example,
in Figure 97 on page 106, the first Essbase data cell is B6. Neither any cell in rows 1 through 5
nor cell A6 can contain numeric values. Also, these cells cannot contain formulas that resolve
to numeric values.
Rule 2
A cell that lies within a row or column of Essbase data cannot contain text or numeric values.
For example, in Figure 97 on page 106, the cells in columns B, C, D, and F and rows 6 through
9 and 11 through 14 cannot contain any nondata text or numbers, for such values may be
overwritten, or emptied, by the retrieved data. These cells can contain formulas, however, if
Formula Preservation options are used. For more information on Formula Preservation options,
see “Preserving Formulas When Retrieving Data” on page 109.
Tip:
If you need to preserve text in a cell, define that text or value as a spreadsheet formula, and use
the Formula Preservation options.
Rule 3
The Pivot command is not available when the Retain on Retrieval check box is selected in the
Mode tab of the Essbase Options dialog box.
Rule 4
The Pivot command removes all cells that contain text other than database member names.
Note:
When Retain on Retrieval is selected, there may be a slight delay in retrieval time.
7 Click OK.
By default, an Essbase retrieval overwrites the spreadsheet formula with data values in the
retrieval area of a worksheet. The retrieval process also eliminates formulas in cells outside the
retrieval area. The Retain on Retrieval option, however, enables you to define retrievals that do
not overwrite formulas in any area of the worksheet.
8 Select Essbase > Retrieve to update the worksheet with the latest data values.
Essbase determines that some text cells in the worksheet do not correspond to database member
names. When Essbase is unable to resolve text in the worksheet, the message shown in
Figure 98 is displayed:
In this example, the first unknown member detected is Market: (in cell A1). Essbase does not
recognize the colon (:) that follows Market in the cell. If you click Yes, Essbase displays the next
unknown member; if you click No, Essbase continues with the retrieval.
Note:
If you work with formatted worksheets often, you may want to configure Essbase so that this
message is not displayed. For information on configuring to avoid the Essbase message, see
“Pivoting Data on Formatted Worksheets” on page 107.
9 Click No to close the dialog box and continue with the retrieval.
Essbase retrieves new data but retains the formatting and formulas in the worksheet. The result
is shown in Figure 99.
Note:
The section on “Preserving Formulas When Retrieving Data” on page 109 provides additional
tutorial tasks that show you how to take advantage of all the Formula Preservation options.
Note:
Essbase prevents pivot operations on worksheets that contain formulas when Formula
Preservation mode is active.
As part of the default Essbase installation, the Inv.xls sample file is provided which illustrates
how to pivot data in a worksheet. The sample file was saved with the Retain on Retrieval option
disabled so that you can pivot on its worksheets.
Note:
Depending on how software is installed on your PC, the file may not be available or may be
located in a different directory. Contact the Essbase system administrator for the location of the
file.
6 Press Enter.
The spreadsheet calculates the formula that you entered in cell G3 and now reflects Qtr1 as a
percentage of Year. The result is shown in Figure 103.
18 Before moving on with the tutorial, complete each of the following tasks:
a. Select Essbase > Options and select the Mode tab.
Note:
Depending on how software is installed on your PC, the file may not be available or may be
located in a different directory. Contact the Essbase system administrator for the location of the
file.
As shown in Figure 107, when you open Profit.xls, the range of cells from B2 through F9
has already been selected for you.
5 Select Essbase > Retrieve once again to update the selected range.
Essbase updates the data in the selected range, as shown in Figure 110.
Note:
You must be connected to a database to use EssCell.
EssCell retrieves data when you perform an Essbase retrieval or when you recalculate a worksheet
through Excel. As part of the default Essbase installation, the Summary.xls sample file is
provided with EssCell functions already set in cells B16 and B17.
Note:
Depending on how software is installed on your PC, the file may not be available or may be
located in a different directory. Contact the Essbase system administrator for the location of this
file.
In Excel, cells B16 and B17 contain the EssCell function. If you select either of these cells, you
can view the syntax for the EssCell function in the formula bar at the top of the worksheet.
The EssCell function in Excel is defined in a cell as follows:
=EssCell(mbrList)
When you open the worksheet, the values in these cells are #N/A. To update the values with
the data in your database, you must perform a retrieval from Essbase.
3 Select Essbase > Retrieve.
Essbase calculates the EssCell functions in cells B16 and B17.
Now update the EssCell functions to retrieve data for a different state.
4 Change the contents of cell A2 from Texas to Florida.
The values in cells B16 and B17 are updated as soon as you update the cell. The update occurs
because Excel has recalculated the worksheet (if you have configured Excel to calculate changes
automatically). The remaining data cells do not change. To completely update the worksheet,
you must retrieve data from the server.
Tip:
If the worksheet contains many EssCell functions, change the spreadsheet to manual calculation
mode. This change prevents the cells that contain EssCell functions from calculating until you
retrieve data or calculate the worksheet manually. For more information on manual calculation
mode, see the Excel documentation .
5 Select Essbase > Retrieve to update the report.
Essbase returns an error message if EssCell is unsuccessful. Table 4 lists messages that Essbase
displays in the EssCell cell and explains the conditions that cause the messages:
Message Reason
#NAME? A text name in the function does not contain double quotation marks.
This task is optional. Optional tasks do not need to be performed as part of the tutorial. They are provided for information
only.
In Excel, to enter your own EssCell function into a worksheet:
a. From the Excel menu bar, select Insert > Function.
b. From the Function Category list, select Essbase Add-in.
The Excel Function Wizard instructs you in defining the EssCell function.
Note:
For more information on EssCell functions, see the Spreadsheet Add-in online help.
Tip:
Enable the Navigate Without Data feature while you arrange the spreadsheet report so that
Essbase does not dynamically calculate the database as the report is being created. For more
information on the Navigate Without Data feature, see “Navigating Through the Worksheet
Without Retrieving Data” on page 49.
Note:
You must be connected to the Sample Basic database to display the Style tab. For more
information on connecting to a database, see “Connecting to a Database” on page 89.
6 In the Members group box, scroll down until you see Dynamic Calculations.
7 Select the Dynamic Calculations check box and click the Format button.
8 In the Font style list, select Bold Italic.
9 In the Color list, select Gray.
10 Click OK and then select the Display tab.
11 In the Cells option group, click Use Styles. Click OK.
12 Select Essbase > Retrieve.
Essbase displays the data and applies all the visual cues, or styles, that you set, including the newly
set styles for dynamic calculation members and the styles you set in Chapter 3. You know that
the columns for Variance and Variance% are dynamically calculated because Essbase displays
these members in gray, bold, italicized font. (Variance and Variance% both display a red
background because that style was previously set for all members of the Scenario dimension.)
The result is shown in Figure 115.
Note:
Occasionally, other styles that you have set will override a style for dynamic calculation members.
For example, if a parent member is also a dynamic calculation member, and if you have set styles
for both parent and dynamic calculations, the style for the parent member overrides the style
for the dynamic calculation member. You must remove the style for parent members in order
to see the style for dynamic calculation members. For more information on the precedence of
styles, see “Precedence of Overlapping Styles” on page 59.
13 Close the Asymm.xls file without saving it.
Note:
For a list of other possible Dynamic Time Series members, see the Spreadsheet Add-in online
help.
9 Select Essbase > Options and select the Display tab.
10 In the Dynamic Time Series group box, select the Latest Time Period check box and from the drop-down
list box, select May, as shown in Figure 117.
Note:
If you do not specify a latest time period,Essbase uses the first level 0 member (Jan) as the default.
Note:
The Retrieve & Lock, Zoom In, and Zoom Out commands are not supported with Dynamic
Time Series members.
Essbase displays data for the Q-T-D member, as shown in Figure 118. The data values in the
worksheet are the aggregated values for April and May, because May is the month that you
specified as the latest month in the quarter-to-date Dynamic Time Series.
Figure 118 Result of Specifying Latest Time Period in a Dynamic Time Series
Notice the substitution variable (CurMnth) in cell A2. When you enter a substitution variable
directly into a cell, you must precede it with an ampersand (&).
In this example, a retrieval produces the results shown in Figure 120.
Essbase queries the server for the value of the substitution variable CurMnth, which is August.
Data is returned only for August.
Note:
If you save a worksheet containing a substitution variable as a template, make sure that you save
the worksheet before you retrieve data. For example, if you save the worksheet shown in
Figure 120 as a template, each time you retrieve the template, August rather than the substitution
variable CurMnth is displayed.
Note:
If a member name consists of a number, such as 100, you must precede the member name with
a single quotation mark (for example, '100). This rule also applies to member names with spaces
between words.
Now define a free-form report that does not contain all the dimensions from the database. In
Advanced Interpretation mode, you may need to enter a dummy data value, such as 0, into the
first data cell to indicate to Essbase where the data starts in the worksheet. Be sure to use a numeric
value as the dummy value.
For example:
6 Select Essbase > FlashBack.
7 Delete cells A1, B1, and C1.
8 In cell B4, type 0 to provide Essbase with a data cell reference point.
Note:
When Essbase completes the retrieval, the report script command is overwritten by the data it
returns. You can use FlashBack to restore the previous view in Free-Form mode.
5 Select File > Close to close the worksheet.
You do not need to save the worksheet.
Caffeinated is an attribute dimension associated with the Product base dimension. Bottle is a
level 0 member of the Pkg_Type attribute dimension. The Pkg_Type dimension is associated
with the Product base dimension. A level 0 member is the lowest level member in a dimension.
3 Click any empty cell and select Essbase > Retrieve or double-click an empty data cell.
Essbase retrieves information on profits for the first quarter of the year for all members of the
Product base dimension that are associated with both the level 0 attribute members of the
Caffeinated attribute dimension (Caffeinated_True and Caffeinated_False) and the level 0
member Bottle of the Pkg_Type attribute dimension. The results should look like Figure 131.
4 You can drill down to data on the level 0 attribute members of the Caffeinated attribute dimension. The
results should look like Figure 132.
5 To drill down further for data on profits for the first quarter for all members of the East base dimension,
double-click cell E1. The results should look like Figure 133.
Note:
Do not insert a space between the comma after 0 and the word Year. Generation and level names
that are entered directly into a worksheet must be precise.
8 Select Essbase > Retrieve.
Note:
For detailed information on using Visual Explorer, refer to the online help that is accessed from
the Help menu in Visual Explorer.
The following example uses Visual Explorer to identify quickly the most profitable product sales
by quarter in the Sample Basic database.
➤ To use Visual Explorer to identify the most profitable product sales by quarter:
1 Open a worksheet.
2 Select Essbase > Visualize & Explore.
The Visual Explorer interface is displayed.
3 Optional: If you are not already logged in to the Sample Basic database, you can log in from Visual Explorer
by completing the following tasks:
a. From Visual Explorer, select Data > Connect to Data.
b. In the Connect to Data dialog box, select Hyperion Essbase.
The Essbase System Login dialog box is displayed.
c. Select the server that you want to access from the Server list box.
If the server name that you want to connect to is not in the list, you can type in the name
of the server.
d. Press Tab to move to the Username text box and type your username.
e. Press Tab to move to the Password text box and type your password.
f. Click OK to connect to the server.
When your server connection is complete, a list of available Application and Database
pairs is displayed in the Application/Database list.
g. Double-click the application and database pair that you want to connect to in the
Application/Database list box. Alternatively, you select the application and database pair
and click OK.
h. In Name Connection, click OK to save the Server-Application-Database name of this
connection for future use.
You can also rename the connection to a name to a user-friendly name.
i. Click Yes at the prompt if you want to save the connection name.
You are now ready to pass the data from the visual worksheet into an Excel worksheet in
Spreadsheet Add-in.
This task is optional. Optional tasks do not need to be performed as part of the tutorial. They are provided for information
only.
In Visual Explorer you can further analyze the data in the Sample Basic database by completing any of the following
tasks:
● Drag State from the Database Schema and drop it on the Page shelf.
The view is recalculated to view the data for individual states. The Current Page shows that we are viewing
data for New York. For example, hover over the bar for Cola in New York in the East region during Qtr1, and
the popup shows that the Sales total for New York in that quarter is $1,998.00. Click the right direction arrow
or use the drop-down to view data from another sate.
● Drag Gen3, Population from the Database Schema and drop it on the Groups shelf.
The view is recalculated so that each column is now broken into market size based on population, separated
by lines. Hover over individual sections and view Sales data by market size.
14 In Oracle's Hyperion® Essbase® Visual Explorer, select File > Export > Cross-tab to Excel to transfer data
from the visual worksheet to worksheet in Excel.
Note:
Alternatively, you can select File > Update Excel (New Worksheet) to transfer the data from the
visual worksheet to a new worksheet in Excel.
Note:
If your organization has licensed and implemented the Essbase Partitioning option, you can also
access linked partitions from cells in Spreadsheet Add-in. For more information on linked
partitions, see “Ways to Access Linked Partitions” on page 145.
Note:
You can link objects only to data cells, not to cells containing member names.
6 In the Linked Objects Browser dialog box, click the Attach button.
Essbase displays the Attach Linked Object dialog box.
7 Under the Attachment Type group box, select File, as shown in Figure 143.
8 Click the Browse button located next to the File Name text box.
Essbase displays the Browse Files dialog box.
9 Go to the \AnalyticServices\client\sample directory and select the Budasmp.txt file.
Note:
Entering text in the File Description text box is optional.
12 Click OK to close the dialog box and link the file to the cell.
Essbase copies the file to the server and establishes a link to the current data cell.
13 Click Close to close the Linked Objects Browser dialog box.
Do not close the Asymm.xls file. You use the file in the next tutorial task.
To recognize cells that have linked reporting objects attached to them, you may want to apply
a visual cue, or style, to the cells.
➤ To apply styles:
1 Select Essbase > Options and select the Style tab.
2 In the Data Cells area, select Linked Objects.
3 Click Format.
4 From the Font style list box, select Italic.
5 From the Color list box, select Purple. Click OK.
6 Select the Display tab.
7 In the Cells option group, select the Use Styles box and click OK.
8 Select Essbase > Retrieve to refresh the worksheet and apply the styles.
Cell D5 (the cell to which you just attached the linked file) is now displayed in purple, italic font,
as shown in Figure 145. Essbase also refreshes the worksheet with the other options set in the
Essbase Options dialog box.
Leave the file (Asymm.xls) open for the next tutorial task.
Note:
You can link objects only to data cells, not to cells containing member names.
2 Select Essbase > Linked Objects.
Essbase displays the Linked Objects Browser dialog box.
3 In the Linked Objects Browser dialog box, click Attach.
Essbase displays the Attach Linked Object dialog box.
4 Under the Attachment Type group box, select Cell Note (see Figure 146).
5 In the Cell Note text box, type the note as indicated in Figure 146.
6 Click OK to close the dialog box and link the cell note.
Leave the Asymm.xls file open for the next tutorial task.
Note:
For more information on URL syntax, see the Spreadsheet Add-in online help.
➤ If you have a Web browser and Internet access, follow these steps to link a data cell to the
Hyperion Web site:
1 In the Asymm.xls file, select cell E5, as shown in Figure 148.
Note:
You can link objects only to data cells, not to cells containing member names.
5 Enter a URL in the Location text box and a brief description in the URL Description text box, as shown in
Figure 150.
Entering text in the URL Description text box is optional. The text field for entering the URL
location is limited to 512 characters. The text field for entering the URL description is limited
to 80 characters.
Note:
The syntax for the URL is not checked at the time of creation; Essbase checks the syntax when
the user accesses the URL from the worksheet. The default Web browser checks for the existence,
or validity, of the URL.
7 Click Close to close the Linked Objects Browser dialog box.
8 Select Essbase > Retrieve to refresh the worksheet and apply the style that you defined for linked objects.
Leave the Asymm.xls file open for the next tutorial task.
The following topics explain how to access linked reporting objects from Spreadsheet Add-in.
Note:
If you enable double-clicking for linked object browsing, double-clicking behavior changes
for retrieving data and performing drill actions. For more information on these changes,
see the Spreadsheet Add-in online help.
For this tutorial, you access the linked reporting objects that you created in the previous sections
by using the Essbase menu item instead of the double-clicking action.
➤ To access the external file that you previously linked to a data cell:
1 In the Asymm.xls file, select cell D5.
2 Select Essbase > Linked Objects.
3 In the Linked Objects Browser dialog box, select the Budasmp.txt file, as shown in Figure 151.
Note:
You can edit the contents of a file in the source application. After the edits are made and the file
is saved, you can re-attach the edited file by clicking the Edit button in the Linked Objects Browser
dialog box. Essbase displays the Re-attach Linked Object dialog box, which you can use to re-
attach, or relink, the edited file to the data cell.
5 Close the Budasmp.txt file and click Close to close the Linked Objects Browser dialog box.
Leave the Asymm.xls file open for the next task.
➤ To access and edit the cell note that you previously created:
1 In the Asymm.xls file, select cell C5.
2 Select Essbase > Linked Objects.
If you simply want to view the contents of the cell note, click the View/Launch button instead
of the Edit button in the Linked Objects Browser dialog box.
5 Edit the contents of the cell note as indicated in Figure 155.
6 Click OK to close the Edit Cell Note dialog box and save the edits you made to the note.
4 Click OK to close the Edit URL dialog box and save the edits that you made.
Essbase saves the edits to the URL on the server.
5 Click View/Launch to view the new URL.
The Web browser launches and connects to the new URL.
6 Close the Web browser.
7 Click Close to close the Linked Objects Browser dialog box.
8 Close the Asymm.xls file without saving it.
Note:
Depending on the status of production applications at your site, you may not have access to
additional applications or databases. Contact the Essbase system administrator if you need access
to other applications.
For information on connecting to multiple databases from Essbase Query Designer, refer to
Chapter 3.
You can set visual cues, or styles, for cells tagged as linked objects. These cells are access points
to the linked partition within the linked database. Two options are available for accessing a linked
partition from a data cell in Spreadsheet Add-in:
● Select the cell and select Essbase > Linked Objects.
● Enable double-clicking for linked object browsing.
If you enable double-clicking for linked object browsing, double-clicking behavior changes
for retrieving data and performing drill actions. For more information on these changes,
see the Spreadsheet Add-in online help.
When you select Essbase > Linked Objects from a linked partition cell, Essbase completes the
following actions:
● Essbase displays the Linked Objects Browser dialog box, which contains a list of possible
partitions which you can access. From this dialog box, select the partition to connect to.
The Linked Objects Browser dialog box may also contain a list of linked reporting objects,
such as cell notes and external files. For more information on linked objects, see “Using
Linked Reporting Objects” on page 133.
● After you select a partition, Essbase creates a new worksheet that contains corresponding
members and dimensions for the cell in the linked partition.
Note:
Essbase does not preserve formulas across partitions.
● Essbase retrieves data values from the linked partition.
You can now perform operations such as drill down and drill up to get more information on
the new worksheet.
Note:
The Sample Basic database that you are using for this tutorial does not contain a linked partition.
However, the instructions for accessing a linked partition are shown as an optional task in the
light-colored box below.
This task is optional. Optional tasks do not need to be performed as part of the tutorial. They are provided for information
only.
To access a linked partition in Spreadsheet Add-in if the Essbase application designer has set up a linked partition:
1. Locate a linked object cell, as indicated by the style applied to the cell.
2. Access the Linked Objects Browser dialog box in either of these ways:
You need the proper privileges to access a linked partition. If your user account and password
match the account information for the linked partition, Essbase establishes a connection with
the linked partition. Otherwise, Essbase displays the Essbase System Login dialog box for you to
enter the user account and password manually.
Note:
You cannot update attribute-related data on the server because attribute data is always calculated
dynamically and, hence, is not saved.
Note:
The Retrieve & Lock command is not supported with Dynamic Time Series members.
● The Lock command locks information that you have already retrieved. When you perform
a subsequent retrieval, Essbase automatically unlocks the previous data values.
● The Update Mode check box in the Mode tab of the Essbase Options dialog box
automatically locks the corresponding database area for each retrieval.
4 Change the value for Sales in Jan (cell B12) to 4000 and press Enter.
Essbase changes the affected data values.
5 Select Essbase > Send to update the server with the new values.
Essbase updates the server and unlocks the data blocks.
Database Calculation
Sending updated data to the server does not automatically recalculate the database. If you have
the appropriate security privileges to perform database calculations, you can calculate the
database from Spreadsheet Add-in with the Calculation command. For this tutorial, you will
not actually calculate the Sample Basic database. For more information on Essbase calculations,
see the Hyperion Essbase - System 9 Database Administrator's Guide.
Caution!
Do not perform any calculation operations for this tutorial.
When you select Essbase > Calculation, Essbase displays the Essbase Calculation dialog box, as
shown in Figure 161.
Caution!
If the last calculation was performed on a subset of the data, the entire database may
not have been calculated since values last changed. To ensure that the results of
calculations are up-to-date, you may want to run a calculation of the entire database.
For more information, contact the Essbase system administrator.
The replicated, or cascaded, spreadsheet reports now provide data for members at the same level
as Central (East, West, and South) and for members at the level below Root Beer (Old Fashioned,
Diet Root Beer, Sarsaparilla, and Birch Beer).
9 Click the Destination Options tab.
10 In the Destination Directory text box, type C:\temp as the name of the directory where you want the
cascaded worksheets to be stored.
You can also click Browse to select a destination directory from the Browse dialog box.
11 In the Destination Types group box, select the Separate Workbooks option (the default setting) to create
separate spreadsheet files for each cascaded worksheet.
You can also choose to create only one workbook with separate worksheets for each cascaded
report, or you can choose to send the cascaded reports to the printer.
12 In the File Information group box, select the Overwrite Existing Files check box (the default setting).
When this check box is selected, Essbase overwrites any cascaded worksheets with the same file
name.
You can also select the Open Created Files check box to open each cascaded file in the spreadsheet
as it is created.
Caution!
Depending on the number of replicated worksheets that you want to create, the Cascade
command can create more worksheets than can be stored in the memory of your computer.
Therefore, the Open Created Files option should not be used when you are replicating large
numbers of worksheets.
13 In the Naming Information group box, type BUD in the Prefix text box.
The completed Destination Options tab should look like Figure 116.
When you assign a prefix or suffix in the Naming Information group box, the worksheet files
that are generated as a result of executing the Cascade command are named with the prefix or
suffix that you specify. The default is to generate worksheet names that are numbered 1 through
n, where n is the total number of worksheets created.
The syntax for the file names is PrefixnSuffix.xls for Excel. If you do not specify a prefix or suffix,
Essbase creates the worksheets 1.xls, 2.xls, and so on. If you are creating a single workbook,
the same naming convention is used for the worksheet tab names within the workbook.
Caution!
Do not specify a prefix and suffix combination that leaves no characters free for Essbase to create
unique file names. If file names are duplicated, Essbase overwrites the duplicate file name with
the last cascaded worksheet.
The worksheet contains all possible combinations of exchange rate scenarios, categories, and
types by month. Because this example converts to U.S. dollars (USD), the sample file contains
a base rate of 1 for USD. Therefore, the local and converted figures remain the same for New
York. Essbase converts the figures for Germany, however, by using data values in the currency
database, as follows:
● Essbase divides data values from Actual by values in the Act xchg currency type.
● Essbase divides data values from Actual @ Bud xchg by values in the Bud xchg currency type.
● Essbase divides data values from Budget by values in the Bud xchg currency type.
● Essbase bases all figures in Convert.xls on the CurCategory of P&L and the CurTime of
Jan.
Note:
A conversion can be defined as a multiplication or division operation on exchange rates.
The definition is determined by the application designer.
The Essbase Currency Report dialog box enables you to modify the exchange rates applied to
the retrieval interactively. The box contains options for currency settings, names, categories, and
years. For more information on these options, see the Spreadsheet Add-in online help.
Note:
The dimension names CurName, CurType, and CurCategory are default names for a currency
database. The application designer can use different names for any of these dimensions.
5 Select the currency settings that you want to apply.
For example, select CAD from the CurName drop-down list and Bud xchg from the CurType
drop-down list.
6 Click Apply to apply the settings.
7 Select Essbase > Retrieve to refresh the data in the worksheet with the results of the ad hoc conversion.
In the example shown in Figure 170, Essbase converted the New York and Germany figures to
Canadian dollars (CAD).
Integration Services is a product that works with Essbase and Spreadsheet Add-in for Microsoft
Excel. Essbase is a suite of tools and data integration services that serves as a bridge between
relational data sources and Essbase Server. Drill-through is one of these tools. Drill-through
enables you to view and customize spreadsheet reports that display data retrieved from relational
databases. Your organization must license Essbase for you to use the drill-through tool.
This chapter provides a brief overview of drill-through and a tutorial that guides you through
tasks for using drill-through. It also include a description of the sample database, spreadsheet
file, and drill-through report used in the tutorial.
About Drill-Through
Despite the benefits of the multidimensional database for storing analytic data, some data
elements required for analysis are better suited to the relational structure of a relational database.
The scope of data residing in an Essbase database is typically at a summary level, where data is
summarized and calculated for planning and analysis. Detailed, transactional data usually is not
examined during the planning and analysis of a business.
For example, you might use Essbase to analyze retail sales for the first quarter in the Eastern
region. Detailed data, such as a list of customers who purchased a particular product in a
particular size, is unnecessary during the normal course of analyzing business performance. As
you analyze sales results, however, you may want to view more detailed information. Drill-
through enables you to drill from the summarized and calculated data stored in Essbase Server
of your organization into detailed data stored in a relational database.
The database administrator predefines a data mapping for you from Essbase to the relational
source. For example, the Essbase members East, West, South, and Central might map to a field
called Region in a relational database. As you navigate through data in the spreadsheet, Essbase
can detect how the current data maps to the relational source. For example, suppose you select
cell G4 in Figure 171.
The dimensional attributes of the cell are as follows: Actual, Profit, New York, Feb, and Product.
The combination of one or more of these attributes becomes the basis for a drill-through query
that returns data from the relational source.
From Spreadsheet Add-in, you can access a predefined drill-through report that is based on the
dimension or member intersections of Essbase data cells in the sheet. Using Integration Services
Console, an administrator at your organization sets up drill-through reports for you to access;
that is, each drill-through report is already defined in terms of what to retrieve from the relational
source.
In Spreadsheet Add-in, you can access drill-through reports from the Linked Objects Browser
dialog box, as shown in Figure 172. When you select a drill-through cell in the sheet and select
Essbase > Linked Objects, the Linked Objects Browser dialog box displays a drill-through entry
that you can select and launch.
Figure 172 Linked Objects Browser Dialog Box with Drill-Through Entry
You can define a style for cells tagged as “drill-through” to identify which cells in the spreadsheet
are associated with drill-through reports. For more information on definining styles for drill-
through cells, see “Accessing Drill-Through Reports from the Spreadsheet” on page 169.
Note:
The Essdt.xls file also contains sample results of the drill-through reports when you run them
without customizing the reports. The results are provided in separate sheets in the workbook so
that you can see the sample report results without working through the tutorial. For more
information about the sample reports, see “About the Samples Used in This Tutorial” on page
168.
Before starting the tutorial, make sure you meet the following requirements:
12 Click OK to save the settings for this session and close the Essbase Options dialog box.
For this spreadsheet view, detail-level data exists in a relational data source—data that is not
available from Essbase. For example, the relational source contains columns of data for market
detail, measures detail, and product detail. This steps in this tutorial walk you through a sample
drill-through session, where you will drill down from the data shown in Figure 178 into the detail
data from the relational source.
This tutorial uses two sample drill-through reports, “Measures Detail” and “Market Detail.” As
with all drill-through reports, these reports have been predefined to retrieve specific columns
from the relational source. You will use the Drill-Through Wizard to customize the report,
“Measures Detail.”
Note:
The sample file also contains two more sample reports called “Product Detail” and “Two reports”
that you can use for drill-through practice. In “Two reports,” select the drill-through cell B3 to
select from two drill-through reports, “Product Detail” and Market Detail, select cell B6 to view
“Market Detail,” and cell G3 to view “Product Detail.”
In addition to the sample drill-through reports, the Essdt.xls file provides sample results of
the drill-through reports. The following list describes the drill-through results that are provided:
● The Market Detail drill tab displays the results for Market Detail when you run a drill-
through report on cell G4 without customizing the report.
● The Measures Detail drill1 tab displays the results for Measures Detail when you run a drill-
through report on cell C4 without customizing the report.
● The Measures Detail drill2 tab displays the results for Measures Detail when you run a drill-
through report on cell G6 without customizing the report.
Using Drill-Through
Drill-through consists of these tasks as discussed in the following topics:
● “Accessing Drill-Through Reports from the Spreadsheet” on page 169
● “Selecting Drill-Through Reports to View or Customize” on page 174
● “Selecting and Ordering Columns” on page 179
● “Ordering Data” on page 180
● “Filtering Data” on page 182
The sample file should look like Figure 179. In this example, the Market Detail tab is selected.
The default tab that is selected when you first open the file may be different.
The sample file shows data for specific members of an Essbase database. This sample file contains
the following three predefined drill-through reports, indicated by the tabs of the spreadsheet:
“Market Detail,” “Measures Detail,” and “Product Detail.” Using drill-through, you can access
these reports and customize them so that Integration Services retrieves only the data that you
need and displays it in the desired format.
3 Select the Market Detail tab on the spreadsheet.
4 Select Essbase > Connect and connect to the appropriate sample database.
Note:
A specific sample database for drill-through is not automatically provided with Integration
Services or Essbase. Contact the person at your organization who installs Integration Services
to set up a database for you.
5 Select Essbase > Options and select the Style tab.
6 In the Data Cells option group, select the Integration Server Drill-Through check box and click Format.
Essbase displays the Font dialog box.
7 Select Bold Italic from the Font style list box.
8 Select Blue from the Color drop-down list, and click OK to return to the Essbase Options dialog box.
In the Essbase Options dialog box, Essbase displays an example of the selected style in the Sample
box.
Figure 181 shows how the Essbase Options Style tab looks with the style for drill-through cells
defined.
9 In the Essbase Options dialog box, select the Display tab, and then select the Use Styles check box, as
shown in Figure 182.
Figure 184 Linked Objects Browser Dialog Box with Drill-Through Entry Selected
● In the Essbase Options dialog box (Global tab), select the Enable Linked Object Browsing
check box.
This process enables you to double-click a linked object cell to open the Linked Objects
Browser dialog box.
This option works only with single-cell selection. If you select a range of cells, use the
Essbase > Linked Objects menu command.
3 Select the drill-through report entry and click View/Launch.
4 In the Select Drill-Through Report dialog box, select Market detail and click Execute.
The results of the drill-through report are displayed in a spreadsheet. The results of the Market
Detail report shows that the regional director for the East region is John West and that the
population for New York is between 18,000,001-21,000,000.
If there is only one report available for the cells that you select in the spreadsheet and if that
report is not designed to be customized, the drill-through process generates the report and
immediately displays the results in the spreadsheet. The person at your organization who
Note:
Tasks that you should not perform as part of the tutorial are shown in light colored boxes.
This task is optional. Optional tasks do not need to be performed as part of the tutorial. They are provided for information
only.
The sample report used for this tutorial is the Measures Detail report. You will use the Drill-Through Wizard to customize
this sample report.
To execute a predefined drill-through report without customizing it, perform these tasks:
1. Select the report that you want to view from the Available Reports list box.
2. Click Execute.
Integration Services retrieves the data from the relational source and displays the results in a new spreadsheet. The
new sheet is added before the current sheet.
2 Select Essbase > Connect and connect to the appropriate sample database.
Note:
A specific sample database for drill-through is not automatically provided with Integration
Services. Contact the person at your organization who installs Integration Services to set up a
database for you.
3 Select Essbase > Options and select the Style tab to define styles for this sheet.
4 In the Data Cells option group, select the Integration Server Drill-Through check box and click Format.
Essbase displays the Font dialog box, as shown in Figure 180 on page 171.
Note:
The style for drill-through cells may already be set as blue, bold, and italic because you set the
style in the previous exercise. If this is the case, then go to step 7.
5 Select Bold Italic from the Font style list box.
6 Select Blue from the Color drop-down list, and click OK to return to the Essbase Options dialog box.
In the Essbase Options dialog box, Essbase displays an example of the selected style in the Sample
box, as shown in Figure 187.
7 In the Essbase Options dialog box, select the Display tab and select the Use Styles check box, as shown
in the Cells group box in Figure 188.
Figure 190 Selecting the Drill-Through Cell for the Measures Detail Report
If Integration Services is not running, the drill-through process does not launch properly. If
drill-through is not launching properly, contact the Essbase system administrator.
If you are prompted with the Drill-Through Login dialog box to connect to Integration Server
and the relational data source, enter the appropriate connection information. The person at
your organization who administers Integration Services and develops drill-through reports
should provide you with this information.
2 Access the Linked Objects Browser in either of these ways:
● Select Essbase > Linked Objects to open the Linked Objects Browser dialog box, as shown
in Figure 184.
● In the Essbase Options dialog box (Global tab), select the Enable Linked Object Browsing
check box.
This process enables you to double-click a linked object cell to open the Linked Objects
Browser dialog box.
This option works only with single-cell selection. If you select a range of cells, use the Essbase
> Linked Objects menu command.
3 Select the drill-through report entry and click View/Launch.
The Select Drill Through Report dialog box is displayed.
Note:
In the Select Drill Through Report dialog box, if the Customize button is selectable, then you
can customize the report. If more than one drill-through report is displayed, then you can select
from the different drill-through reports. In this tutorial, only one report, “Measures detail,” is
displayed and customizable.
5 Click Customize.
Note:
The Customize button may or may not be selectable for any given report, depending on how
the report was defined in Integration Services Console.
Integration Services displays the first screen of the Drill-Through Wizard, as shown in
Figure 192.
6 Click Next to display the Select Columns and Display Order dialog box, as shown in Figure 193.
7 Follow the steps in the topic, “Selecting and Ordering Columns” on page 179, to select and order rows for
the customized report.
Note:
To select multiple columns in the list that are not adjacent to each other, hold down the Ctrl key
and select each column. To select a range of columns, hold down the Shift key and click the first
and last columns in the list, which also selects all columns in between them.
2 Click to move the selected column from the Selected Columns list back to the Available Columns list.
Note:
To move a column from one list to another, click or . To move all columns from one list
to another, click or .
3 Click Next to display the Select Data Sort Order dialog box, and follow the steps in the topic, “Ordering
Data” on page 180 to further customize the report.
Note:
When you finish customizing the report, click Finish at any time to generate the report and view
the results in a new sheet. The new sheet is placed before the current sheet.
Ordering Data
In the Select Data Sort Order dialog box, you can select an ascending or descending sort order
for the data in a column. Sort order determines the order in which rows will be displayed in the
drill-through report. For example, you can sort the contents of the Time.TRANSDATE column,
which represents the transaction dates, in ascending order in the drill-through report.
Note:
To move a column from one list to another, click or . To move all columns from one list
to another, click or .
3 In the Column list, double-click the Time.TRANSDATE column to change the data sort order from Ascending
to Descending, as shown in Figure 196.
This action causes transaction date values to be displayed in reverse chronological order in the
drill-through report.
c. Select Ascending or Descending and click OK to return to the Select Data Sort Order dialog box.
4 Click Next to display the Select Data Filters dialog box, and follow the steps in the topic, “Filtering Data”
on page 182 to customize the report further.
Filtering Data
You can create and apply filters to determine what Integration Services retrieves for the drill-
through report. You can also save, edit, and delete the filters that you create. For any given
column, you may want to retrieve only data that meets certain conditions. For example, the
MEASURES.CHILD column in the sample database contains all children of the Measures
dimension.
In the sample drill-through report, if you do not apply a filter to this list of measures, Integration
Services retrieves all children from the relational source, because the sample drill-through report
applies to all children of Measures. In this section, you will apply a filter to the
MEASURES.CHILD column so that all children of Measures, except Misc, are included in the
report.
Note:
When you apply a filter on a non-level 0 member using Integration Services, the filter may return
more members than expected. To work around this problem, use the Drill-Through Wizard.
➤ To define a filter:
1 Select the MEASURES.CHILD column from the Column list.
If there is a filter already attached to the column, it is displayed in the Condition column. The
full string of the filter is displayed in the lower Condition text box.
2 With the MEASURES.CHILD column selected, click Add condition.
The Set Filter on Column dialog box is displayed, as shown in Figure 199.
5 Click the Browse button next to the Condition text box to open the Select Filter Values from the List
dialog box, which lists all possible values for that column.
The Select Filter Values from the List dialog box is displayed.
Note:
Integration Services retrieves these values directly from the relational data source. If the relational
data source contains many values, Integration Services confirms if you want to view them all
before it retrieves them from the data source.
6 In the Select Filter Values from the List dialog box, select Misc, as shown in Figure 200, and click OK.
Note:
For information on using multiple filter conditions, see the Drill-Through online help.
The Set Filter on Column dialog box should look like Figure 201.
The filter defined above causes all children of Measures, except Misc data, to show in the drill-
through report.
The Add button becomes unselectable after you create the first filter, but becomes selectable
when you create another filter. In this tutorial, you are creating only one filter. The And and Or
options are used when combining multiple filters. The default value is Or, which means that
Integration Services applies the filter if any of the conditions that you specify are met. If you
select And, Integration Services applies the filter only if all the conditions are met.
8 Click OK to return to the Select Data Filters dialog box.
Notice that the filter defined in the Set Filter on Column dialog box is displayed in the Condition
column and the Condition text box of the Select Data Filters dialog box.
You can also create a filter by typing the filter conditions directly into the Filters text box of the
Set Filter on Column dialog box. For more information, see the Drill-Through online help.
Note:
You can also delete or rename filters. See the Spreadsheet Add-in online help for information.
Oracle's Essbase® Integration Services generates the customized drill-through report and
displays the results in a new spreadsheet. The new spreadsheet is added to the workbook before
the current spreadsheet.
In this sample, the customized drill-through report reflects the specifications that you set using
the Drill-Through Wizard:
● The Time.TRANSDATE column is sorted in descending order, displaying the transaction
dates in reverse chronological order.
● All children of Measures, Additions, COGS, Marketing, Payroll, Sales, and Opening
Inventory, except Misc, are displayed as you specified in the filtering part of the Drill-
Through Wizard.
Note:
You can also disconnect from the server by closing the spreadsheet application. An abnormal
shutdown of a Spreadsheet Add-in session, such as a power loss or system failure, does not
disconnect your server connection.
Index
Index 189
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z
190 Index
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z
Lock, 147 D
Member Selection, 81 data
Navigate Without Data, 49, 52 calculating, 149
Pivot, 44 changing orientation, 44
Remove Only, 49 comparison operators, 96
Retrieve, 36 displaying, 16, 36
Retrieve & Lock, 147 dynamically calculating, 117
Send, 148 filtering, 94
Undo, 37 filtering, in drill-through reports, 185
Unlock, 148 formatting, 54
Zoom In, 38 locking, 147
Zoom Out, 41 missing, 53
comparison operators, 80, 96 modifying, 147
compatibility with Hyperion Smart View for Office, navigating, 19, 49
8, 28 pivoting, 44
concurrent relational, and drill-through reporting, 161
database access, 34, 144 removing subsets, 49
updates to server, 147 retaining subsets, 47
conditional retrievals, 94 retrieving. See retrieving
Connect button, 24 sorting, 94
Connect command, 34, 90, 144 unlocking, 148
connecting, 33. See also disconnecting updating, 147, 149
to a database, 33, 89 data sort order, and drill-through reporting, 180
to a relational data source, 161, 169, 177 data source, relational, 177
to Essbase, 34, 90 databases
to Integration Server, 169, 177 calculating. See calculations
to multiple databases, 144 concurrent access, 34
viewing current connections, 145 connecting. See connecting
Connection Information text box, 145, 150 consolidations, 19
consolidations (defined), 19 defined, 15
conversions, currency, 155 dimensions, 17
creating queries, 68 disconnecting from, 87
creating reports. See reports, creating linked. See linked partitions
Currency Conversion product, 15 loading, 35, 91
currency conversions locking, 147
modifying exchange rates, 158 members, 18
reporting, 157 organization, 17
sample databases, 156 outlines, 19
settings, 158 queries. See queries
Currency Report command, 155, 158 restoring previous views, 37
Currency Report dialog box, 158 rules, 17
current time period. See Dynamic Time Series sample, 33, 155, 168
cursors (Essbase), 36 selecting. See connecting
custom applications, 14 switching, 144
Customize button, 178 viewing connections, 145
customizing drill-through reports, 174 deleting
filters, in drill-through reports, 186
Index 191
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z
192 Index
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z
Index 193
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z
194 Index
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z
Index 195
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z
196 Index
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z
Index 197
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z
198 Index
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z
style options, 55 T
suppressing missing and zero values, 53 table of contents, with Cascade, 154
zoom options, 42 TCP/IP protocol, 13
SQL Interface, 14 terminating database connections. See disconnecting
starting termination, abnormal, 88
data retrieval, 36 text
drill-through, 169 entering free-form, 122
Essbase, 23 formatting, 56
Spreadsheet Add-in, 23 hierarchy of styles, 60
status of database connections, 145 pivoting. See pivot
Style page (Essbase Options dialog box), 55 preserving formatted, 105
styles time periods, 119
applying title members, with drill-down, 39
to data cells, 59 to-date calculations, specifying, 119
to dimension members, 57 toolbar (Essbase), 26
to dimensions, 57 buttons on, 24
to drill-through cells, 169 installing, 23
to linked partition cells, 146 tracking data updates, 149
to linked reporting object cells, 136 transaction-level data, accessing with drill-through,
to members, 55 161
to parent members, 55 transparent partitions. See linked partitions
to Query Designer results, 79 transport protocol, 13
to shared members, 56 tutorial
clearing, 61 basic tasks, 21
defining, 55 guidelines, 32
hierarchy of, 60 preparing for, 28
overlapping, 60
removing, 60
selecting members, 56
U
underscore characters, suppressing, 54
stored in ESSBASE.INI, 58
Undo command. See FlashBack command
turning off, 61
undoing actions, 37
turning on, 57
Unlock command, 148
Subset dialog box, 82, 84
unlocking data blocks, 148
subsets
up-to-date calculations, 119
defining members, 82
Update Mode, 148
removing, 49
updating
retaining, 47
data, 147
substitution variables, 121, 122
log file, 149
suppressing
upgrading, 7
data retrieval, 49
URLs
missing and zero values, 53
accessing linked, 143
option disabled, 109
editing, 143
underscore characters, 53
length limits, 139
symmetric reports, 101
linking to data cells, 138
system administrator, 12
Use Aliases option, 61
system failure, 88
Use Both Member Names and Aliases option, 63
Use Sheet Options with Query Designer option, 79
Index 199
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z
W
Web resources, linking to data cells, 138
wildcard characters, 82
Windows NT Registry, changes to, 23
Within Selected Group option, 43, 101
worksheets
formatting, 54
navigating without data in, 49
World Wide Web, linking to data cells, 138
X
Xchgrate sample database, 156
Z
zero values
suppressing, 53, 54
suppressing options disabled, 109
200 Index